The Promise of Amazing
by TheSoundofMusic
Summary: The war is over and Grima is gone-along with Chrom's beloved wife, Robin. Now she lies somewhere between the past and the present, the heroine of her daughter's bedtime story and a fond memory of Ylisse's new Exalt. Will Robin remain a memory forevermore, or will she find her way back home?
1. Prolouge

_~Prologue__: Present Day~_

There was the soft pattering of feet, and then a small giggle. Rather than turning around, the Exalt sat very still in his chair, focusing hard on the papers that lay on his desk in a disarray.

"One…two…" Chrom whispered, counting quietly to himself as the sound of footsteps grew louder and louder.

Before the young lord could reach three, his daughter pounced on him. Grabbing at her father's cape, the young princess Lucina giggled as she told her father, "Boo!"

With a smile Chrom pulled back from his study desk and tugged his cape out of Lucina's chubby hands. Leaning down a bit, the Exalt exclaimed, "You startled me, Lucina!"

Giggling happily, Lucina laughed, "You're scared so easily Father! What are you doing?"

Reaching down, Chrom pulled his four-year-old onto his lap and played idly with her hair. Straightening the small crown she wore, Chrom told her, "I'm just doing some boring grown-up stuff. Aren't you supposed to be doing something else right now too? I thought Frederick said he was going to watch you…"

Chrom's sentence was left unfinished as the doors to his study burst open; rushing in came Chrom's right hand man and his younger sister, both of them with frantic looks on their faces.

"Milord!" Frederick gasped, the normally serious knight obviously panicking, "The young princess-"

"LUCINA!" Lissa interrupted the knight, rushing around the desk to where Chrom was sitting. Picking Lucina up, the healer scolded, "How many times have I told you not to run away from Frederick? You made him panic again!"

Rather than looking remorseful, Lucina just giggled again before peeking over her aunt's shoulder at the knight. Waving at Frederick, the little princess smiled encouragingly at him before looking up at Lissa and complaining, "I only wanted to see Father…"

"Your father is very busy," Frederick said, calming down as his serious expression returned at the sight of the princess. "Besides, it's time for your afternoon nap."

With a pout, Lucina turned from him and asked her father, "Will you tell me a story about mother? The story of how you met her and fell in love with her? I won't sleep if you won't tell me!"

Both Lissa and Frederick started to protest the absurdity of her request when Chrom said amiably, "Of course, Lucina. I'm sure your Aunt Lissa and Frederick wouldn't mind filling in the bits I don't remember as well."

Standing up, the Exalt moved forward to take his daughter out of Lissa's arms, and as he carried her out of the room and down the hallway both Lissa and Frederick exchanged looks of worry. Biting her lip, Lissa murmured, "Poor Chrom…"

"We must be strong, milady," Frederick insisted, although the worried look on his face matched the healer's. "Even though he may miss Robin he will surely miss her even more if we act sad about it."

Shaking her head, Lissa grabbed her skirt and sighed, "It's been so long…surely you'd think we'd have found her by now. It's hard enough that Chrom's had to raise Lucina on his own for the last three years; Morgan and the Lucina from the future miss her as well. Goodness knows where they've gone now to search for her."

Frederick opened his mouth to say something when Chrom and his daughter poked their heads back into the study.

"Frederick, Aunt Lissa, are you coming?" Lucina asked, watching both grown-ups with curious eyes from the arms of her father.

Exchanging one last look, Lissa and Frederick smiled and reassured the young princess before following Chrom and Lucina down the hallway. As the four entered Lucina's room and Chrom put her into bed, the three adults settled themselves on the edge of the mattress before all looking at each other.

Patiently, Lucina looked at her father before settling herself into her sheets more comfortably. As his daughter snuggled into her bed, Chrom smiled at her before a frown crossed his face.

"A story about your mother, huh?" the Exalt said thoughtfully, completely missing the looks of pity that Lissa and Frederick both threw him. As Chrom's thoughts turned to his lost wife, the Exalt smiled sadly and shook his head. Reaching out to pat Lucina's head, Chrom began.

"Once, I was very lucky to stumble across someone taking a nap in the middle of a field. She'd no memory of who she was, and no memory of where she came from, but there was something about her that struck me even though I didn't know her; it was the promise of something amazing…"

* * *

><p><strong>And so it begins :D I hope this prologue is intriguing enough for people to continue!<strong>

**Disclaimers now before I forget: I don't own the characters, or the stuff from the game or the picture for the story but the plot will be mine!**

**It's going to kind of follow the plot of the actual game but I'm going to try and sort of twist it in my own way-as in, the mainline is gonna be the same but there will different things here and there. Either way I hope it's enjoyable and that the start of the story is intriguing enough that you want to read the rest when I start posting!  
>Thanks all for the reads and I hope to see you when I post the first chapter!<strong>


	2. Chapter 1

_~Chapter One (Days Past)~_

As the young girl stood up, shaking grass from her curly white ponytail, Chrom took a good look at her. Brown eyes and pale skin greeted him, a confused frown on her feminine features as she stared right back at him.

Straightening up, the strange girl turned to the young lord and smiled at him happily before saying, "Thank you, Chrom."

Before Chrom could reply, Lissa all but pounced on her, a whirlwind of giggles and wild ponytails as the healer grabbed at the girl's cloak and examined it.

"What a strange design!" Lissa marveled, pulling at the material while the girl made flustered noises and blushed furiously as the healer twirled her around forcefully in an examination. "Why were you sleeping out in the middle of this field anyways?"

"I…I've no idea," the girl said, finally managing to grab her coat out of Lissa's hands. Moving back a step, she made eye contact with Chrom, the young lord felt a shiver run down his spine; inexplicably, he had the strangest feeling of déjà vu. Shaking off the feeling, Chrom moved forward and said, "By the way, how'd you know my name? If we've met before I don't recall it."

Somehow this statement made the girl even more flustered, and looking down she twisted her cloak in her hands before muttering, "I don't remember. I don't know-I don't! I can't seem to remember anything…"

"Do you remember your name?"

The girl frowned, twisting her face into a worried scowl as she pondered the question. Pity immediately swept through Chrom, and just as he was about to insist that she didn't strain herself thinking it over her face lit up for a second.

With a relieved smile, the girl said, "Robin…it's Robin! That's my name. I'm sure of it!"

"Really? You're sure of it then?" Frederick coughed from the side, eyeing the girl with a dubious look on his face.

Robin opened her mouth to retort back when Chrom interrupted, not wanting to let a fight start before he could figure everything out.

"Don't mind Frederick the Wary over there," the young lord told Robin, giving her a reassuring smile. "He's a bit of a worrywart about even the simplest of things. Look, if you can't remember much why don't we head to the nearest village and get things sorted out?"

Robin turned to Chrom, her brown eyes sending another shiver of familiarity through the young lord as she asked gently, "You'd do that? For a stranger?"

"Well we ARE Shepherds," Lissa giggled, waving her staff around. "Guide lost sheep and all that!"

"She's not a sheep, she's a person," Frederick grumbled, but the knight was ignored as Lissa began talking and skipping towards town, swinging her arms happily as she talked about getting good food for the first time in weeks. Running after her, Frederick followed as he took turns between scolding and calling after Lissa.

That left Chrom and Robin alone, the two of them watching as the other two members of their group walked off in the direction of the town.

After a moment, Chrom asked, "Shall we follow them then?"

"Sure."

There was a small moment of silence where the two were walking behind Frederick and Lissa when Chrom asked, "So you've really got no memory of who you are?"

"Not a clue," Robin said. "It's strange. I don't understand where I am or where I'm from , but most of all I don't understand how I was so sure of your name and could barely remember mine."

As she frowned, her eyebrows furrowing in confusion, Chrom immediately felt bad for bringing it up. The look must have shown on his face, for when the girl looked over at him again she blinked before saying hurriedly, "I'm sure I can figure it all out eventually. I might just take some time, that's all."

"I hope you can figure it out," Chrom said, feeling a little bit better. "I'd hate for you to feel lost for such a long time. Anyways, Southtown isn't too far from here and it should be a good place for you to get some decent food and rest before trying to figure everything out."

"Thanks. So exactly _where_ did you say we are? Something about a halidrone?"

"Halidom. There are several countries within it-Ylisse, the Feroxi, Plegia…"

"Whoa, wait. So it's…it's like a nation?"

Staring at her, Chrom smirked a bit before saying, "You really don't remember anything, do you? I don't mean to be rude, but that's basic knowledge. Even the youngest of children in Ylisse could tell you that…"

Pouting, Robin crossed her arms before saying, "Well you don't have to make fun of my ignorance. And here I thought you were so nice, helping me out…"

"Oh come on, I'm only teasing you," Chrom began, but his words were interrupted by a loud scream. Instantly alert, both Robin and Chrom exchanged looks before charging up the path towards where the sound had come from.

"Chrom, look!" Lissa cried, her expression frantic as she pointed towards Southtown; flames rose from within the town, yellow and red consuming it whole as smoke rose towards the crisp blue sky.

"Frederick, Lissa! We have to help!" Chrom ordered, completely forgetting about Robin as he charged forward , his hand already moving to his sword.

"But what about her?" Frederick called, pointing at Robin.

"Unless she's on fire too she can wait," Chrom called back, and quickly Frederick and Lissa followed him after throwing one last glance at Robin.

As Robin watched the trio racing towards the town, she frowned before yelling, "Hey, wait! You can't mean to stop that fire all by yourself…oh, whatever."

With a sigh, she gathered the trailing ends of her cloak and as fast as she could ran after them.

* * *

><p>Through the haze of smoke and flames, Chrom squinted as he tried to see how many enemies surrounded him and where their leader was. Screams rent the air as people ran past him in an attempt to escape the burning town, while others were heard pleading for their lives as raucous laughter mingled with the sound of the people panicking.<p>

The young lord was so focused on his scouting that when Robin touched his arm gently he nearly jumped a foot in the air with surprise; turning around with a wild look in his eyes, he asked, "What!? Wait, Robin? What are you doing here!?"

Ignoring his frantic questions, Robin peered out into the smoke and frowned before pointing through the chaos and muttering, "He's over there, if it's the leader you're looking for."

Unable to find words to express his confusion at why she was there or how she knew what he was look for, Chrom stared at the girl wordlessly until she turned to him with a serious look on her face.

"The big idiot's laughing up a storm over there and not doing a thing; anyone can tell he's clearly running this whole scheme. If you want to stop the fires and help out this place we're going to have to take him out."

Shaking his head, Chrom said, "I know that, but you just woke up in a field there's no way you could possibly-wait. You have a sword?"

Crouching into a fighting stance, Robin gave the chipped blade in her hand a test swing before glancing over at the blue-haired man. Raising an eyebrow, she said nothing, only dashing forward and leaping over a nearby stall just as one of the many bandits pillaging the town ran by.

Frederick, Lissa, and Chrom all watched as Robin crashed on top of him, knocking the bandit off his feet before turning around to deliver a well-timed slice with her sword. Straightening up again she glanced over her shoulder before asking indignantly, "Well aren't you going to help me?"

Snapping out of his daze, Chrom unsheathed Falchion and said, "Right. Frederick, make sure Lissa doesn't get hurt."

"Oh come on, I'm not some delicate pansy who can't take care of themselves!" Lissa complained from behind him, but Chrom ignored her as he charged over the stall and stood next to Robin.

As a bandit nearby spotted them and rushed towards them with a leer, Chrom grit his teeth and Robin held her head high. Yelling, the bandit brought a dagger up only to find himself screaming in pain as Chrom slashed at him with Falchion. When the bandit stumbled back, Chrom moved forward to deliver the finishing blow only to nearly crash into Robin, who had taken a step forward as well.

Pulling back so that he wouldn't hit her, Chrom leapt over the girl before landing smoothly on the ground and dispatching the bandit.

Turning around, he lectured sternly, "Be careful, this isn't some sort of game! It's either kill or be killed!"

Robin nodded, replying, "I know that! Look, I'm sorry I bumped into you, I just didn't think you'd move forward and try to finish him off on your own when you have someone perfectly capable right next to you. It would've been easier if I went in first because I'm faster and then you delivered the last blow because you're stronger…"

"What're you talking about?" Chrom asked, tilting his head in confusion before moving forward to take out a bandit that had been approaching Robin from behind.

As he finished off yet another enemy, Robin said, "I can't explain it, but it just makes more sense that way…it's like I can see what's going to happen and what's the better strategy."

Facing her, Chrom puffed out, "Strategy?"

Robin frowned before pulling out a tome and casting a spell, sending the bandit behind Chrom to his death. "Yes," she said as Chrom turned to look at the fallen man with an incredulous look in his eyes. "Strategy."

"Wait, you carry a tome too?"

Before he could say much more, Lissa and Frederick came crashing through the burning stalls surrounding them, the knight taking out a few more bandits on their way. With a pleased smile Lissa exclaimed, "That's pretty cool, that you can fight with magic and with a sword! Me, I just heal people. Like broken bones, or nasty wounds, or really bloody-"

"You said you could see things," Chrom interrupted, causing Lissa to pout. "And that you could strategize?"

Robin nodded, staring intently at the young lord as she did so. Ignoring Frederick's look and Lissa's complaining, Chrom stared back at her.

There was only a moment's hesitation, before he gripped Falchion tightly and said, "Alright then. You tell us what's the best plan to stop Southtown from becoming a crisp and getting rid of the bandits."

* * *

><p>As the four stood in the middle of the town, watching the people repair their charred homes and working to fix things, Chrom stole a glance over at Robin. The tactician was standing with her hands on her hips, a happy smile on her face as she surveyed what was going on.<p>

The young lord hadn't expected her to be so clever; despite having no memory whatsoever, Robin had been able to get them through the chaos and to the leader of the bandits in less time than he had thought. If it had been up to Chrom, the four would have just fought their way through the melee as a group, but Robin had divided them and sent them in different paths. After dividing and conquering all the thugs running around, their paths had somehow worked out so that they all met at the leader's point simultaneously and were able to defeat him together.

Though Chrom had never been one for strategy himself, even in his untrained way he could tell that Robin was excellent in that she had clearly thought out what was best for the group and found a way to put it into effect.

The familiar sense of trust seemed to bubble up again, and frowning Chrom wondered why the tactician evoked such feelings. Pushing down the strange thoughts, he reached over to tap her lightly on the shoulder before saying, "Thank you."

Robin gave him a confused look, asking, "For what?"

"For helping us. You've earned my trust, Robin." He didn't mention that he had felt trust for her even before she'd helped, as Frederick was already shooting him daggers for what he had just said.

The tactician turned a light shade of pink before smiling again and saying, "Well, you're welcome. I mean, it's the least I could do since you found me and tried to help me out… I suppose you'll all leave then, to continue whatever it is you were doing?"

"Not without a good meal first!" Lissa said, bouncing up and giving Robin a big grin. "I'd love some soup for starters, and-"

"We'll be leaving right away," Frederick said sternly, butting into the conversation. "We must report this incident to the Exalt and the captain of the guard."

"But Frederick!" Lissa whined. As the two fell into bickering again, Robin glanced at the ground and bit her lip.

Without thinking, Chrom blurted out, "Come with us."

Lissa and Frederick fell silent, turning wide and curious eyes on Chrom as Robin blinked and took a step back.

"Come with you?"

Feeling heat begin to rush to his face, Chrom coughed before continuing. "Come with us to Ylisse. I think you're…interesting. And that you'd be a good edition to the Shepherds."

"You mean I would be part of your group? Truly?"

As Robin stared even harder, Chrom straightened up before looking directly into her eyes. In a solemn voice, the young lord said, "You're a wonderful tactician, and this is only the beginning. Even if you can't remember who you are, wouldn't you like to try and help us do great things and help others?"

A smile broke out on Robin's face, and sticking out her pale hand she laughed, "I suppose when you put it like that I've got no choice. After all, who wouldn't want to be part of a group like yours?"


	3. Chapter 2

_~Chapter Two (Present Day)~_

"Chrom? CHROM?"

The Exalt blinked as Lissa shook him, her movement rough despite her outwardly delicate appearance. Ponytails swaying, she leaned down to look her brother in the face before murmuring, "Lucina's already asleep, Chrom. You can stop telling the story now."

Looking down, Chrom saw Lucina snoring, her arms curled around a nearby pillow as she slept happily. With a sigh, Chrom stood up and straightened his outfit before walking out of his daughter's room with both Lissa and Frederick in tow.

There was silence for a moment, before Chrom asked quietly, "So how is Lucina?"

For a moment Lissa was confused before what he was really asking kicked in. Shaking her head, the healer murmured, "Basilio sent a message saying she left Feroxi territory and headed North. Morgan is staying in Regna Ferox to do some studying of journals in hopes of finding actual clues, so this time Owain went with her."

The corner of Chrom's mouthed twitched upward in a smile at the thought; his rambunctious nephew and his future daughter were a pair, Owain with his proclamations of heroic acts and Lucina with her solemn way of doing everything. It was always amusing and puzzling to the Exalt as to how the two of them had gotten to be so close over time, considering that they had such different temperaments.

When Morgan wasn't helping Lucina search for their missing parent, it was Owain who went with his cousin. Somehow the two of them always came back with no clues but a plethora of amusing stories and tales of villages they'd saved from roaming groups of thieves and the like.

Chrom's thoughts were interrupted when the tell-tale sound of Sumia could be heard; there was a loud squeal, followed by a crashing noise.

From his place behind Chrom, Frederick twitched and stiffened a worried look on his face. Smothering a laugh, Chrom said, "That sounds like Sumia…why don't you go make sure she hasn't broken anything?"

"I assure you sir, if she has I will pay-"

"I meant her bones," Chrom laughed. "Go on, Frederick."

As Frederick bowed hurriedly and rushed off towards the sound, Chrom smirked before shaking his head and turning back to his sister.

"Are you going over to Maribelle's and Vaike's then?"

"Of course," Lissa replied. "Maribelle and I always have tea around this time, especially when I'm not over in Regna Ferox with Lon'qu."

Waving her off, Chrom said, "Don't let me keep you then. I don't know why you're still following me around, I've got paperwork to do."

The healer gave Chrom a look that said she knew better. In a scolding tone, Lissa lectured, "I know you better than that! You ARE my brother after all; I'm going to Maribelle's but you'd better actually be doing paper work and not thinking depressing thoughts, alright?"

Frowning, Chrom shrugged before complaining, "I don't know what you're talking about. I don't do that."

Frowning, Lissa said, "Mmm-hmm. Well I'll be back in an hour and Miriel and Laurent said they'd drop by in twenty minutes to talk to you about some new discovery they've made for the kingdom or something."

"Have fun, Lissa," Chrom said pointedly, smiling when his sister stuck her tongue out at him and flounced off.

Walking back to his study alone, Chrom took his time as he was in no rush to get back to all the papers he'd left on his desk. As he was walking through one of the hallways, something caught his eye. Looking through the window he watched a couple of birds tweeting happily as they flew around each other, the birdsong filling the air as they flew past the window and out of sight.

Sighing, Chrom looked down.

* * *

><p>"<em>Birds make the prettiest sounds, don't they?" <em>

_Chrom looked up from the map laid out in front of him to see Robin staring up at the sky with a wistful expression on her face. She sat comfortably on the grass, her cloak spread out around her like a skirt as she closed her eyes and soaked up the sun's rays. _

_Chrom reflected on her; he'd yet to see Robin look as carefree as she did at this moment, the normally guarded look on her face completely gone as she smiled up into sky. It cheered him, to see her like this, and without realizing it a smile had come over his own face at just watching the tactician._

_With a little laugh, Chrom reminded her, "We're supposed to be going over your strategy for when we march tomorrow. Stop getting so distracted, silly." _

"_Who's the silly one who marched straight into the women's bathing tent last week?" _

_Chrom felt himself turning a brilliant shade of red at the memory; willing himself not to turn away from his tactician, he cleared his throat and said gruffly, "It was an accident…" _

_There was a laugh, and when Chrom looked up he found that Robin was smiling at him with a teasing look on her face. _

"_Considering you don't even see me as a lady, I hardly think you did that on purpose," she teased the young lord mercilessly, enjoying the look of mortification on his face as he began to stutter out apologies._

_Chrom stopped mid-apology when Robin began laughing loudly, holding her sides as she did so. As he watched her, he couldn't help but smile-he hadn't seen her this happy since the day she'd tricked Frederick into eating bear jerky. The sun glinted off her hair, and for a second Chrom had the strangest urge to reach out and tuck her wayward bangs behind her ear. _

_The feeling was fleeting; in a second he shook his head to clear it and said, "Seriously, let's get back to the strategy." _

"_Alright, alright!" Robin laughed, before locking eyes with Chrom and giving him a grin that had him wanting to blush all over again. "Let's do this!"_

* * *

><p>Chrom was jerked out of his memory when there was a loud shouting noise from the courtyard. Wondering what it could be, the Exalt paused before turning around and heading in the opposite direction from his study.<p>

As he walked down the hallways swiftly, there was a loud clanking noise before a man's voice could be heard.

"Sully," the other person pleaded. "Sully, wait for me! I didn't even get to finish lunch…"

"Hurry up, Stahl," another voice rang out. "I heard something in the courtyard, and I'll be damned if there's any sort of action happening without me knowing about it!"

Chrom blinked as his two paladins ran out from a nearby hallway, cutting in front of him. As the woman ran off, leaving her friend behind, Chrom called out to the man.

"Stahl!"

Turning, the green-clad Shepherd turned to Chrom and blinked in surprise before giving a quick, clumsy bow.

"Chrom, sir! I mean uh, your Ma-"

"There's no need for grand titles," Chrom cut him off. "We all fought together, side-by-side with no titles back then. What's going on?"

"I don't know," Stahl said sheepishly. "I was just enjoying lunch with Sully when we heard a loud crash. She pulled me along, insisting we go find out what it was. I told her it was probably just Sumia but she didn't listen to me."

Looking after where Sully had disappeared, Chrom motioned before saying, "Well come on then, let's go after her."

As the two ran down the hallway together, they were joined by a third person; a black cape flew past the duo, practically skipping towards the courtyard.

"Gaius? Where've you been, Miriel's been looking for you!" Stahl called out as the sugar-addicted thief ran ahead of them.

"Kitchen," Gaius replied absent mindedly, before glancing back at Chrom and grinned. "Hey, Blue. They're making chocolate cake for dinner tonight."

Chrom shook his head, giving the incorrigible thief a smile before the three burst out onto the castle grounds and headed for the courtyard. They were greeted by another sound; there were loud bursts of what sounded suspiciously like spells being cast. As they entered the courtyard, they blinked at the scene before them.

Olivia timidly covered her eyes and begged her husband to stop as Henry laughed and cast another spell at the dark-haired girl across the courtyard. Giving him a venomous smile, Tharja blocked his spell and cast a hex of her own while her husband Ricken stood behind her with a panicked look on his face.

Chrom stepped up to say something when the sage Miriel stepped out of the shadows with her son, Laurent, right behind her. Out of the corner of his eye, Chrom saw Gaius shrink behind him a bit at the sight of his ever-stern wife.

"That will suffice for my studies of dark magic," Miriel announced, causing both Henry and Tharja to pause mid-curse. "I believe with the recording I have made here I will be able to determine how best to dispel these things through use of a potion rather than a spell as you do…"

"Aw shucks, Miriel!" Henry exclaimed, "I'm not done casting spells yet! Just you wait 'til I hit Tharja with this one, it'll really knock her off her feet…"

From across the courtyard Tharja snickered in a way that had everyone nearby cringing before she leered over at the dark knight and said, "Yes, go on. I've got a few more curses of my own…"

Putting a hand to his forehead, Chrom cleared his throat loudly; alerted to the presence of the Exalt, everyone in the courtyard froze, all eyes turning to the young lord.

"As much as I appreciate you all keeping up your…training," Chrom frowned. "I would very much hope you refrain from destroying the courtyard and from destroying each other."

"Weren't you doing paperwork, Chrom sir?" Ricken spoke up, his still childish face causing Chrom to soften his expression a bit.

"It'll be hard for me to concentrate if you all insist on keeping up this racket."

As everyone in the courtyard began alternately apologizing and complaining about each other, Chrom waved them off before saying, "Just see that you all try and be safer next time?"

Tharja muttered something under her breath and Henry looked crestfallen, but everyone nodded before turning to each other and talking. As Chrom began to walk away by himself, he called back, "And you'd better all be there at dinner-Lucina's expecting you."

* * *

><p>Dinner was louder than ever as little Lucina sat in the middle of the Shepherds, giggling at the antics of those around her. From a few seats away Chrom smiled before starting in on his own meal. The Exalt reflected on his comrades; after the disappearance of Robin, he'd been at a loss for how to best raise the child waiting for him back in the palace. The Shepherds and everyone who had fought to end Grima had gathered at the castle or visited every other month, becoming a family of sorts for Lucina and Chrom, helping to raise her despite the families they themselves were just starting.<p>

Chrom was halfway through with dinner when Lissa scolded, "Gaius! Don't give her sweets before she's finished her the food on her plate!"

Looking up, Chrom saw the thief grinning at his sister guiltily, while Lucina held onto a ridiculously big lollipop with wide eyes. With a shrug, Gaius said, "Oh come on, a little sugar won't do the kid harm. Besides, Robin and I used to sneak sweets from camp all the time and you never got upset then-you were always more than happy to share with us."

He smiled triumphantly, before realizing the awkward silence that had fallen over the table. Gaius glanced towards Chrom apologetically and opened his mouth to cover his blunder when Lucina piped up, "You and Mother used to do that?"

Turning to Lucina, the thief stuttered out, "Wha? Oh, yeah! Your mom and I were great pals…she was good friends with everyone of course, but she was my dessert buddy."

"Dessert buddy?"

"Yeah, she had a big sweet tooth like your old Uncle Gaius does, so on occasion we'd go out of our way to uh…taste test dessert for the rest of the camp."

As everyone nearby rolled their eyes and shook their heads at Gaius, Lucina giggled before calling down the table, "Father, you never finished your story about Mother. Will you continue?"

Expectantly, everyone turned to Chrom, who smiled and shook his head.

"After dinner," the Exalt promised. "We'll all go to the great hall and I'll tell it there."

As he picked up his fork and began eating again a low murmur rose over the table before everyone fell back into their previous conversations, occasionally shooting glances at the Exalt. When dinner was finally over, Chrom stood up and motioned for everyone to rise as well.

All piling into the great hall, the Shepherds gathered around, sitting on couches and chairs as Chrom sat in the chair closest to the fire. Lucina, for her part, sat on a couch nearby in between several grown-ups as she looked at her father.

A silence fell over the Shepherds as Chrom stared absent-mindedly into the fireplace, gazing at the flames while he mulled over how to start.

His thoughts were interrupted when Lucina exclaimed, "You left off on the part where you and Mother were going to Ylisse."

"Right," Chrom smiled at his daughter.

Making himself comfortable in the chair, Chrom cleared his throat and said, "So we were to spend the night camping before making it here, to Ylisse…"

* * *

><p><strong>I know Chrom's not exactly the type who seems super hung-up on Robin, but considering he vows to never rest until he finds her again (maybe I should've put a spoiler alert...oopsmybadohwellsorry) I'd like to think he loves her very much and would be very upset that she's gone even if he doesn't always show it on the outside.<strong>

**Anyways, I'd like to thank you all for reading and the reviews :) I may not post as frequently as others, but when I do post I'll try to do it in a pattern like this, where I do two chapters so you can see the way things are moving parallel between Chrom recounting the past (which you already know) and Chrom dealing with the present (which I am making up as my own plot). Well, until the next update, thanks all! :) **


	4. Chapter 3

_~Chapter Three (Days Past)~_

There was a scuffling noise nearby, causing Chrom to sit up straight as he squinted into some nearby bushes. Just as he stood up to investigate, Lissa stirred before yawning and rubbing her eyes. Sitting up, the healer murmured, "Chrom? What's up?"

"Thought I heard something. I'm just going to go check it out quickly."

As Chrom stood up, Lissa struggled to her feet and grabbed her staff. Rubbing sleep from her eyes again, the healer insisted, "I'm coming too."

The sibling exchanged smiles, before taking off into the undergrowth. It was eerily silent, and for a moment Chrom felt a shiver of distaste run down his spine when a loud rumbling noise began to build up.

"Get out of here," Chrom said, staring at what appeared to be a giant cloud of darkness approaching.

"Huh?"

"Run!"

Pushing Lissa ahead of him, Chrom watched with wide eyes as the darkness came closer and he quickly turned and ran after his sister. As the earth seemed to fall apart and flames erupted into the still of the night, Chrom caught up to Lissa and grabbed her hand, saying, "This way!"

The two managed to get out of the way as the earth broke apart, and gasping both of them watched what was unfolding in front of them with confused expressions. Chrom stared at the broken earth, wondering what was happening when Lissa gasped and said, "Chrom!"

Turning, he looked to where his sister was pointing as her trembling voice asked, "What is that thing?"

As a light flashed into the sky and a strange symbol seemed to open from the heavens, Chrom watched with horror as terrible things poured out and fell to the ground with groans. As one of the nightmares charged forward, Chrom quickly pulled Falchion from its sheath and sliced at the strange creature, thinking that it would be enough to stop its attacks.

To his surprise the thing merely growled louder before continuing its assault, forcing Chrom to pull back and thrust Falchion into the enemy more forcefully than he had before. Standing up, he stared down at the fallen enemy when Lissa's shrill cry made him turn.

"Lissa!" he called, moving forward as one of the things raised an axe at his sister. Chrom dashed towards her quickly when a blue-clad figure darted past him, a familiar gleam in their hand. Pausing, the young lord watched as the stranger blocked the hit, shielding Lissa as they did so.

"What…" he asked, staring at the sword.

"Help!" the person grunted out, bringing Chrom back to his senses. Stepping up, the young lord moved to attack, distracting the enemy as he did so. The stranger took this opportunity to attack as well, and together they watched as the thing fell to the ground lifelessly.

As Lissa ran up to her brother, Chrom put a hand on her shoulder before turning to look at the person who had helped. Staring at the short blue hair and the mask, he asked, "Who are you?"

"That's none of your concern."

"I'd like to think it is, considering you just saved my sister's life."

The stranger opened their mouth to protest when Robin and Frederick came running up, both of them yelling and waving as they did so. While Chrom and Lissa turned to look, the stranger slipped off into the darkness.

"Milord, are you and Lissa alright?" Frederick asked, leaning closer to inspect if any damage had been taken by either person. Leaning around Frederick's scrutinizing gaze, Chrom saw that Robin was staring past him into the darkness, her eyes wide and scared as she took in this newest threat.

"What are those things?" she whispered, more to herself than to anyone else. Looking closer, Chrom saw fear flash in her eyes, combined with a slight recognition before she shook her head and turned back to the group.

Pushing past Frederick, the young lord reached out and tapped Robin on the arm, asking, "What's the plan then?"

* * *

><p>As Chrom cut down yet another one of the monsters, he heard a grunt and looked over just in time to see Robin slicing through one herself. They were a few feet apart, and for a second Chrom wondered how being separate from each other could possibly help them fight when Frederick charged in between the gap they had and slashed at a charging enemy.<p>

Falling back behind the knight as Robin had ordered, Chrom watched as Frederick practically bulldozed a path through the oncoming monsters, leaving the way behind him relatively clear as Lissa ran close behind him. Moving into position on his sister's left side, he glanced over to see Robin on the opposite side.

Together the four fought like that before reaching the closest fort, where they all stopped for a second and took a breather.

"How many are out there still?" Chrom asked, squinting into the darkness. "We've got to take them all out if we want to get anywhere close to the path back to Ylisse."

"Can't tell yet," Robin said grimly, taking the water that Lissa offered her and having a quick sip. "We'll have to go back out there in a minute, before they figure out we're holed up in here and surround us. We'd be able to fight our way out, but it'd be risky."

Chrom opened his mouth to say something when a loud voice pierced the through all the groaning.

"Captain Chrom! I'm coming sir!" A woman's voice yelled sternly from outside, and immediately Chrom shot to his feet.

"Sully?" he said, before racing to the entryway of the fort to look outside. Sure enough, the red-armored woman sat on her horse, surveying the battlefield with a look of determination. Before Chrom could call out and catch her attention, he was surprised to see a well-dressed man with a bow appear behind her.

"My love, you vex me in running off so! Such a beautiful lady as yourself-"

"Can it Ruffles," Sully said grumpily. "I've got a captain to find and a bunch of monsters to beat."

If the man was doubtful for a second of pursuing her, he didn't show it; with a low bow he said, "How I love a woman with strength such as yours!"

As Sully began to tell him to leave in her usual, rough way, he only insisted more on staying by her side. So entranced was Chrom by this strange conversation that when Robin bumped him with her shoulder he blinked, having nearly forgotten what was going on.

"Friend of yours?" Robin asked, nodding at Sully as she watched the cavalier take down one of the monsters that had found her.

"Wha-yeah! She's one of us, she's a Shepherd. I don't know who that guy with her is though."

Shouldering up for battle again, Robin straightened her cloak and picked her sword up again. Stepping out ahead of everyone else, she ordered, "Chrom, you keep Lissa at your side right now; Lissa, make sure you use your staff whenever your brother looks worn out. Frederick, come with me. I want Chrom and Lissa to make their way towards the woman-"

"Sully," Lissa interjected.

"Sully," Robin agreed, allowing herself to be corrected. "And Frederick and I will follow up behind."

* * *

><p>As the last of the monsters fell with a dying moan, Chrom stuck Falchion in the ground before looking up at where Sully sat on her horse with a satisfied look on her face.<p>

"Good job, Sully," he told her. "And thanks for coming to warn us."

A grim look fell over the redhead's face as she shook her head. Patting her horse, she glanced over at where Frederick, Robin, and Lissa were all talking to the blue-haired man before looking back down at her captain.

"I wasn't fast enough," she grumped. "I ended up leaving Stahl behind on accident, and then I ran into that weirdo…says his name's Virion…"

Together Chrom and Sully glanced over at where the man was now fluffing up his hair, before he laughed loudly at something Robin asked him.

Turning back to their conversation, Sully finished, "I was pretty surprised to see those things over here too, since as far as I knew they had only shown up near the Northroad. I was even more surprised when I got here and that white-haired girl over there was shouting out orders at random and switching between a sword and tome."

"That's Robin for you," Chrom couldn't help but laugh. "I meant to introduce you to her earlier as she's to be our newest Shepherd and our tactician, but between all those monsters it didn't seem appropriate."

Sully grinned at her captain before looking back over at where Robin was scolding Virion. Sizing her up, the cavalier grinned even wider before observing, "She's a tough one, I can tell. Anyone who can give such clear directions in the middle of chaos has my respect."

Chrom smiled too, but before he could voice his agreement Frederick marched up to the two of them. With a short bow, the knight said quietly, "It seems that we've more problems than bandits, Milord. I'm sure the council is waiting to speak with both you and the Exalt."

"Yes, thank you Frederick. Let's get going then, shall we?"

"Right away," Frederick bowed, before looking back over his shoulder where Lissa was now laughing as Robin pulled on Virion's cravat roughly while she looked at it, causing the archer to make a pained face. Seeing that, Chrom coughed down a snicker before saying, "Still don't trust her after getting us through that, Frederick?"

The knight frowned, but the young lord smiled a bit as he watched Frederick's expression soften just a bit. Turning from Chrom, Frederick coughed before stating, "Two battles does not a comrade make, Milord. I would continue to advise you on keeping up some guard in front of her."

As Frederick clanked off and began to break up the trio on the other side, Chrom shook his head before walking off after him.

* * *

><p>Chrom watched Robin out of the corner of his eye as the group entered Ylisse; he couldn't help it. The tactician looked for all the world like an excited child, her brown eyes lit up with curiosity as she took in her surroundings.<p>

He leaned over to say something to her when a cry started up.

"The Exalt has come to see us!" an elderly man cried, and quickly the people began to gather around a particular spot. Standing on her toes to get a better look, Robin gaped as an elegant looking woman stood in the middle of the gathering crowd, a demure smile on her face. She exuded an aura of peace, one that could even be felt as far away as the group stood from her.

"The Exalt…" Robin murmured, tilting her head in wonder as she watched the crowd. "She's awfully pretty, whoever she is."

"She's the highest power in Ylisse," Sully told the tactician, putting one hand on her hip and nodding at the Exalt, who was now smiling as she talked to someone close by. Frederick, stepping up to Robin's other side, cleared his throat before saying, "She stands for peace and guides the people here, giving them hope."

With wide eyes, Robin turned to look at the woman again. "She sounds amazing," the tactician said, smiling widely as she did so.

"Isn't she just?" Lissa giggled. "She also the best big sister in the world!"

"Yes, she would be a pretty fantastic-wait. Big sister?" With a look of confusion, then panic, Robin turned to look at Lissa and Chrom .Not seeming to comprehend it, she gulped before saying, "So if she's the Exalt AND your sister than that would make you two-"

"Ylissean royalty," Chrom said simply, ignoring the gape that Robin gave him. Quickly, the tactician fumbled for her cloak in an attempt for a clumsy bow, stuttering, "You-your majesty, I mean, your grace, I uh-"

Robin found herself cut off as Chrom grabbed her shoulder and squeezed it gently. Glancing up from her bow, the tactician found herself looking Chrom straight in the face as he said with a smile, "You needn't act like that. I'm not one for grand titles."

As she straightened up, she looked over to see that Lissa and the others were already heading towards the palace without them. Crossing her arms, Robin griped, "You've been royalty and all this time haven't said a word? I thought you said you were a Shepherd!"

"I am a Shepherd."

"That's not what I meant and you know it," Robin hissed back, frowning even more when Chrom chuckled at her expression. "You never told me you were a LORD! Just think, I could have said something offensive to you and Frederick would've had me in the stockades for disgracing your lordshipness, or whatever title it is you hold."

At this Chrom couldn't help but laugh loudly; ignoring the looks that passer-bys were now giving the duo, the blue-haired man managed to snort out between laughs, "Frederick wouldn't do that. He'd be more likely to have you burned at the stake than tortured any other way."

When a look of utter horrification came over Robin, Chrom began to laugh so hard that tears nearly came out of his eyes. After about a minute, Robin bit her lip before a smile slowly started to grow on her own face-soon, she was laughing just as hard as the young lord.

It was Frederick who found them like that, doubled up with laughter as they stood in the middle of the street together making faces and pointing at each other. With a grumpy look, the knight said, "Sir, please. The Exalt?"

"Right, right," Chrom said, wiping a tear from his eye as he finally managed to quell the laughter. Turning to Robin, who was straightening up as her giggles trailed off, he held out a hand. Curiously, she looked at it until Chrom said easily, "Let's go meet my sister, Robin."

Hesitantly, she looked at him before breaking into a breathtaking smile. Slipping her slender hand into his, the tactician allowed Chrom to pull her beyond the palace gates and towards the Exalt.


	5. Chapter 4

_~Chapter Four: Present Day~_

Chrom paused, looking away from the fire since the first time he'd started speaking again. Sure enough, Lucina was already asleep; she lay on both Henry and Tharja, drooling and completely relaxed. While Tharja stared away and muttered something about 'not liking children' despite the pleased smile on her face and Henry braided Lucina's hair with Olivia's help, the others all began to shift from where they'd been sitting and speak up.

"I still remember that time," Frederick muttered, the first to break the silence that had been cast by Chrom's story. "I turned around at the palace gates only to see you and Robin snorting and rolling around on the cobblestones."

"Most undignified," Miriel sniffed, before the corner of her mouth tilted up in a smile. "But very much like our Robin."

As the others all murmured in agreement, Lissa stood up and stretched before saying, "Someone should put her to bed."

"I'll do it," Chrom offered, already rising even though both Stahl and Virion had stood up at Lissa's request. Walking over the carpet to where Lucina was, Chrom knelt and gently picked up his four-year-old, standing up as soon as he had her securely in his arms. Nodding a good-night to those in the room, he walked off with Lucina in tow, the happy toddler and Exalt both blissfully unaware of the way everyone looked at their backs.

The room was completely silent for a moment, before Sumia cuddled into Frederick's side and murmured loud enough for everyone to hear, "He misses her fiercely. Three years is three years too long if you ask me; surely there's been some clue so far?"

Expectantly, everyone turned to Lissa, who bit her lip. Sinking back down onto the nearest couch, the healer sighed, "No. There's none."

"I'm surprised Morgan has yet to receive any information, given his intellectual observation and dedication to this search," Miriel observed, pushing her glasses up slightly as she turned to look at her son and husband, Laurent nodding at her while Gaius fumbled with a candy wrapper. "I believe at this point, he has thoroughly read all of Robin's left behind books and recalled all he can about the future he came from."

Silence fell once more over group, before Tharja muttered, "I haven't found anything either to help further any clues-not that I haven't already asked Chrom if I could go through Robin's…_personal _things for research…"

As Tharja giggled a little and several of the more innocent Shepherds turned crimson at the way she'd said it, Lissa cleared her throat and said, "Well clues or no clues, we should probably all go to bed. Did we decide who's going to stay here in Ylisse and who's coming with me and Chrom to Regna Ferox?"

There was a quick debate, before it was determined that Olivia, Henry, Sumia, and Laurent were all to join Chrom while the others remained to maintain the castle. As everyone began to get up and leave for the night, they began to walk off in small groups, until only a few lingered in the great hall.

Touching her son's cheek lightly, Miriel said in a motherly tone, "Going back to Regna Ferox then, are you?"

"Yes, Mother," Laurent replied crisply. "I must rejoin the others from the future, especially now in this crucial time as you and the other begin to start-"

"You're still our son, whether you're from the future or not," Gaius said gruffly, putting his hand on Miriel's shoulder as the two looked at their son proudly. "So visit from time to time, if we can't get away to see you."

Smiling back, Laurent bowed a bit before murmuring, "Yes…thank you, Father, Mother. I know."

As the three embraced, Lissa turned from the scene and said gratefully, "Thanks for always watching over the castle when Chrom leaves for Regna Ferox."

"Of course, Milady," Frederick bowed. "I look forward to any news Chrom might bring back after this visit. How long will he be gone before returning here?"

"He's only to stay with us for a week or so. I hope Lucina won't give you too much trouble; if she asks for a bedtime story you could always continue the one Chrom's been telling now."

"She won't ask for that story from me," Frederick said simply. "Lucina has asked me many things about her mother, but she has never asked me about Robin and Chrom's relationship or anything pertaining to it. I believe she thinks it's something only her father has the right to talk about."

"Yes," Lissa murmured, smiling a bit as she did so. "Only Chrom really has that right to think intimately of Robin, doesn't he?"

* * *

><p>As Chrom put his daughter to sleep as gently as possible, he stopped to reflect on her features. Already the Exalt could see the way his toddler was beginning to have some of the same mannerisms as his daughter from the future did, the little one constantly finding some way to show off her strength by picking up her father's sword.<p>

The toddler was energetic and happy, something that the Exalt was grateful for. At first he had been worried about Lucina's reaction to not having a mother; as she had gotten older and into the age where she could question where her mother was, Chrom had worried all the more. He hadn't known how to explain it to her, to possibly tell his daughter that her mother was missing but not dead. He was utterly thankful that she did not seem overly upset to not be able to know Robin, although he would have very much liked her to.

There was something in his daughter that reminded him of his wife; the spark in her eyes when she understood something, the way she always managed to escape from whoever was watching her and make it to Chrom's study without being noticed. The toddler and her future self were both that way, having inherited some of their mother's traits as well as their father's.

There was a stubborn streak in both girls as well, one that was most definitely a trait of their mother's rather than their father's.

Robin had never been one to give up a fight, Chrom mused as he pulled the sheets up to his daughter's chin. She'd always found some way out of any situation, doing all in her power to keep everyone alive and as safe as possible even if it meant putting herself in harm's path. It was something he both loved and hated about her-he couldn't recall the many times she'd argued with him about her safety on the battlefield, or all the times they'd fought about who was going to lead the party that took down the enemy's leader.

Sometimes, Chrom thought, he'd wished that he had been as unselfish as she was in battle-there were many times when the young lord had wanted to leave Robin behind even when he knew she knew best, wanting to keep her safe and sound rather than have her next to him in the heat of battle.

Shaking his head, the Exalt tucked the blanket more securely around Lucina as he bit his lip, remembering a battle where her stubbornness had nearly killed her.

* * *

><p><em>In the thick of the battle, Chrom coughed and waved off some smoke that rose from the ground below him. It was painfully hot in the midst of the Demon's Ingle, the volcano reeking with the smell of sulfur. As brilliant of a plan it had been to lure the enemy in, the young lord couldn't help but feel like his own troops were in trouble as well. <em>

_Glancing over at where Robin stood at his side, Chrom saw a steely glint in her eyes when a nearby enemy took a step forward and yowled in pain as a patch of hot magma burned him. _

"_You okay?" the tactician asked without looking at her husband, her brown eyes still scanning the interior of the volcano. "We've still got a bit of a ways to go before we cut through and make it to where Yen'fay is waiting."_

"_I'm fine…are you okay?" _

_Robin nodded, her eyes narrowing as she kept looking. Straightening up, Chrom opened his mouth to say something when she jumped, a look of panic on her face. _

"_SUMIA!" the tactician screamed from across the rocks and lava; at the far end of the volcano, the dark flier looked up with confusion in her eyes. "SUMIA, GET DOWN! EVERYONE OVER THERE, GET DOWN __**NOW!**__" _

_It was futile-Chrom and the few that remained in the middle party could all tell that Sumia and the others with her hadn't heard a word the tactician had said. As the young lord began to make a 'get down' motion, he started when Robin ran from his side unexpectedly. _

"_Robin!" Chrom called frantically, stopping mid-gesture to reach after the tactician. Helplessly he watched her, black cloak flying as she cut her way through the oncoming enemy alone in a desperate attempt to make it to the others' side. It was rare that her strategies put anyone in enough danger that it made her that panicked, and quickly the young lord turned to scan the volcano to see what could be causing her such agony. _

_His eyes widened to see a small regiment of archers making their way sneakily towards the group Sumia headed, their bows taut as they prepared themselves to shoot. _

_Chrom stepped forward to take some sort of action, but he was too late; leaping over a rock, Robin charged straight into the group of archers, bowling them over as she began to hack and slash at them. She wasn't able to do much; a few who had hung back from the main group shot at her, one arrow finding its way in her shoulder and the other making a mark in her side. _

_As he watched his wife go down, Chrom felt his heart plummet into his stomach, unable to breath as Robin made a few more feeble attempts at slashing the archers before falling to the ground like a broken doll. Sumia and the others took her sacrifice as an opportunity to plunge forward, taking out what remained of the group easily before surrounding the fallen tactician. _

"_Chrom, what should we do-" _

"_I don't care," Chrom said, unsheathing Falchion with a wild look in his eyes. "I need to get over there, __**now. **__I need to see my wife." _

_He moved to break free of the group when he felt the speaker put a hand on his shoulder; turning, the young lord saw Donnel watching him with serious eyes as the farm boy said, "We'll get ya over there, your lordship." _

_Glancing around, Chrom realized that those with him were just as worried about Robin, and giving them all a thankful smile he nodded before turning and charging towards her with full might. When the group had managed to cut past several enemies and make it to where Sumia's group still stood in the same spot, Chrom pushed through the small crowd and finally got a look at Robin. _

_She lay with her head propped up against a rock, panting as Lissa muttered things under her breath and worked on the tactician with her staff. As a blue, healing glow replaced the place where blood was seeping out, Chrom released a breath he hadn't realized he was holding and sunk to his knees by her side. _

_Using Falchion to support himself, he growled, "Robin." _

"_Chrom..?" the tactician huffed out, giving him a worn smile. "I'm fine, don't worry-"_

"_Don't worry? You idiot! You could've died, pulling a stunt like that! What the hell were you thinking, charging off into that group without anyone to help you?!" _

_Everyone nearby shifted uneasily as Robin's gaze grew steely, knowing the tactician was never one to give up when she felt she had done the right thing. Sitting up and ignoring Lissa's hiss of protest, Robin replied sternly, "What, are you saying I should've just let Sumia and the others get bombarded and left to take care of themselves? _

"_Robin-"_

"_I had to do something! I couldn't leave them in that kind of situation; what kind of tactician would I be then? It was my oversight that put them in danger, and-"_

"_ROBIN." _

_The tactician fell silent, and she and Chrom glared each other down for a moment before Robin murmured, "Let's get back to the task at hand. Gaius, I want you to lead Sumia's group by a few steps so you can scout for bands of archers like that and keep our Pegasus knight and dark flier safe. Everyone else in the middle group, get back to cutting down people from the middle path."_

_Quickly everyone evacuated, heading to their positions and leaving Chrom and Robin behind as they started to fight once more, catching up to where the only group that hadn't stopped was still warring. In the midst of the awkward silence left, Lissa coughed, "I'm done. You're good to go now, Robin."_

"_Thanks Lissa." _

_Nodding, the healer quickly ran off to join the group. For a moment Chrom stared at Robin, before he leaned forward to rest his head against her shoulder. Exhaling in a loud huff, he muttered, "Don't do that to me. Don't scare me like that."_

_Robin's expression softened and she reached up to pat him on the head as she replied quietly, "I'm sorry. I didn't mean to." _

"_I know."_

_They remained that way for a moment longer, time seeming to stand still for the two of them before Robin coughed, "Should we get back to work then?"_

* * *

><p>"Father?" a little voice piped up, startling Chrom from his reverie. Glancing down at the covers, he saw Lucina blinking up at him curiously. "Are you alright?"<p>

"Of course," he hurriedly reassured her, smiling quickly to put his daughter at ease. "I'm perfectly fine, Lucina."

With a frown, the little one clambered out of bed and crawled over to where her father sat, placing herself on his lap and throwing her arms around his neck in a hug. Chrom laughed a little, before gently hugging her back and stroking her long, blue hair. He opened his mouth to say something about her going to sleep when she pulled back and blinked up at him.

"Is it Mother?" Lucina asked, sending a quick pang of pain through Chrom's chest. "Are you sad because you're thinking about Mother?"

"Just a little," Chrom admitted to his daughter. "I loved her very much, you know. I still do, even if she's not here."

Lucina seemed to take in this information before leaning against Chrom's chest and asking, "Would you continue the story? I fell asleep on accident…"

"It's past your bedtime."

"I know…but please?"

As Lucina smiled up at him hopefully, Chrom found himself unable to suppress a returning smile. Rubbing her back gently, he said, "Alright then. Your aunt Emmryn was in the middle of the great hall when we first arrived. I'll never forget the look on your mother's face…"

* * *

><p><strong>Chrom is the best father ever XD At least, I'd like to think so; he definitely cares an awful lot about not only about Robin (whether she marries him or not) but the art for when he first sees baby Lucina always gets my feels going :P<strong>

**Anyways, thanks all for the reads and reviews, have a happy new year, and I hope to see you on the next update! :) **


	6. Chapter 5

_~Chapter Five: Days Past~_

As Robin fumbled with an attempt at curtseys and bows, Emmryn glanced up and caught Chrom's eye. Shaking her head slightly at the smirk that was on her brother's face, the Exalt smiled before saying gently, "You need not bow so much, Robin. It is a pleasure to meet you."

Straightening up, Robin nodded enthusiastically before saying, "It's a pleasure to meet you too. I um…"

"I heard all about it from Chrom while you were speaking with Frederick," Emmryn gestured, smiling even more benevolently. "You sound like a wonderful tactician. I hope we can be of some assistance in helping you to recover your lost memory."

Robin flushed a bit crimson at this, obviously embarrassed at the flattery and nice gestures before she made eye contact with Chrom. Before she could protest everything Chrom had said about her to his sister, Frederick stepped up with the captain of the guard at his side. As the two bowed and Emmryn turned to them, Robin whirled around and gave Chrom a stern look.

"What did you tell her about me?" the tactician whispered furiously, looking slightly mortified.

"I only told her that you're memory-less and good at strategies…although I may have exaggerated a bit on how good you are." Chrom grinned, his smile spreading even wider as Robin gaped at him with a loss for words. She moved forward to say more when Emmryn cleared her throat.

Turning back around, the tactician blinked in surprise as Emmryn smiled at her again before turning to Chrom and saying, "The Council is ready. Let us go."

Giving one last nod of acknowledgement to Robin, the Exalt turned to go with both Phila and Frederick at her side. As Robin stood there, wondering what to do, she felt Chrom clap his hand on her shoulder. Looking down at her, the young lord said, "Go check out the Shepherd's headquarters with Lissa. She's bound to show back up here any second now, having told them all about you."

Smiling at the look of bashfulness that came over the tactician, Chrom pushed her lightly before reassuring her, "It'll be fine. They'll like you."

Robin hesitated, and was about to say something when out of nowhere Lissa crashed into her.

"Come on, come on, come on!" the bubbly healer giggled. "They're all waiting to meet you!"

As Robin allowed herself to be dragged off by Lissa, she gave one last glance over her shoulder to see Chrom wave good-bye, before he turned and walked off as well.

* * *

><p>When Chrom walked into the Shepherd's barracks, he was surprised to see a bit of a crowd. Raising his chin, he was surprised to see a familiar-looking white ponytail before one of the Shepherds turned a bit and saw the young lord.<p>

"Heya, Chrom!" Vaike called, the extremely muscular fighter grinning casually as he rested an axe on one broad shoulder. "Come to ask ol' teach for advice?"

"No thank you," Chrom shot back politely. "I'm good."

Vaike grinned all the more and started to retort when he was interrupted by Sumia; running forward, the pretty girl cried, "Oh, Chrom! You're okay!"

She took two steps towards him before stumbling over something, falling to the ground face-first with a yelp. As everyone except Robin chuckled, Chrom put a hand to his forehead in despair and said, "Again, Sumia? It's those boots of yours…"

Struggling to her feet, Sumia blushed a bit in embarrassment before saluting Chrom and saying, "Welcome home, sir."

"It's just Chrom," he told her, turning to look at Robin and completely missing the way Sumia's blush deepened momentarily. Putting a hand on his hip, Chrom gestured around the room before saying, "Welcome to the Shepherds, Robin!"

Tearing her curious gaze from Sumia, Robin's brown eyes flicked up to look Chrom in the face before she grinned at him. The young lord grinned back, ignoring Vaike as the fighter elbowed him and made a little cat-call.

Knowing full well what Robin thought without her having to say it, he turned to the rest of the Shepherds and announced, "I've just come from the council's meeting. Everyone pack up-we're heading to Regna Ferox in the morning."

Everyone nodded in reply to his command, and as they all dispersed to grab weapons or leave the room, Chrom turned to look at Robin once more. The tactician was frowning, her eyebrows furrowed in confusion as she asked, "Regna…Ferox?"

"The Feroxi," Chrom explained. "They're longtime allies of Ylisse so we thought we'd enlist their help against the brigands that seem to be coming from Plegia."

"Plegia?"

"Scum," a voice interrupted, taking both Chrom and Robin by surprise. Looking up, they saw Frederick approaching them with a displeased look on his face. "As of late it seems they have been intruding our borders frequently, ransacking peaceful villages and destroying everything they touch. Their crazed leader has only spurred them onto it-if they do not cease soon I fear the worst may happen yet."

"You worry too much," Chrom said, patting Frederick on the back as he said so. "I'd like to solve this problem by just dealing with that king of theirs, but until then we need to listen to what Emm says. "

As Frederick's look of displeasure intensified, Robin looked between the two men before asking, "What does Emmryn say?"

"One shouldn't accuse others without outright proof. And that we should seek peace, and not war."

"Peace does sound nice," Robin agreed, causing Chrom to smile again. Dropping a hand to Falchion, the young lord gestured for the tactician to follow as he said, "Let's show you to your chambers then. Get some rest-tommorow's march will be longer than our last."

* * *

><p>The growling and snapping of teeth was more than a warning to the Shepherds the next day, as they found themselves at an impasse. Blocking the path was a horde of the monsters that Chrom and the others had fought off before, all of them moaning terribly and spewing ominous purple smoke.<p>

As Chrom crouched behind a set of nearby trees, he muttered out of the side of his mouth, "Got a strategy yet?"

Without looking, Robin murmured back, "Give it a second, I'm getting there. What even are these things anyways? When I look at them, they're like zombies but so much worse…so, so much worse…"

Chrom looked at Robin just in time to catch the slight shiver she had after she finished talking, her eyes filled with a sense of both fear and calculation as she scanned the field ahead of her. Briefly, the young lord entertained the idea of patting her on the shoulder for comfort but quickly squashed it down when he felt Frederick's stare on his back.

Leaning down so that he was a little closer to her, he whispered, "Don't feel too pressured, but I think Frederick wants to get going soon so we make it before dark."

"Shhhh!" Robin ordered, and Chrom smiled a bit to see how spirited she was; it was definitely better than seeing the way she had shivered before. "I'm working on a strategy to take down these monster-thingies."

"Risen," Chrom said absent-mindedly. "Remember? I told you that the council named them Risen."

"Risen-schmism," Vaike could be heard muttering from the back of the group. "Just let the Vaike get out there and tear it up!"

"With what, your bare hands? You need an axe you dolt, and you left it behind," Sully reminded him with a snide tone in her voice, shutting the fighter up.

"All of you be quiet, " Frederick ordered, while Sumia peeked from the back of the group with curious eyes. "Robin is thinking."

"Thinking about what?"

"About when you're going to shut up," Robin muttered under her breath, causing Chrom to stifle a laugh despite the present circumstances. Finally, after a few more minutes, the tactician straightened up and gave a big sigh before turning back to the group and giving a few quick instructions. As everyone began moving into place for battle, Chrom glanced over at her.

She was patting herself down, checking her tomes when he cleared his throat and said, "So…when do you and I pair up again?"

Surprised at the question, Robin blushed lightly before coughing, "At the bridge. We'll switch partners there and power through to the leader so if one gets to the meeting point first they have to wait for the other. Remember?"

"Right."

For a minute the two stood in silence, before she smiled at the young lord and told him, "First one to the bridge gets to give any order they want to the loser?"

Eagerly, Chrom accepted her challenge, saying with a grin, "You'll regret that you know."

"We'll see."

Smiling, the two locked eyes briefly before turning to their partners and making a silent prayer that everything would be okay.

* * *

><p>They were nearly at the borders of Regna Ferox when Chrom finally brought it up. Hand on his belt, he marched side by side in front of the Shepherds with Robin at his side and a grin on his face. After the battle with the Risen and the strange encounter with a wounded Pegasus, it had been a silent tactician that walked beside the young lord, a slight frown on her face while a large smile graced his.<p>

Glancing out of the corner of his eye at Robin, Chrom finally coughed, "So about that order…"

"Shutup," Robin grumbled, the two words sounding more like one as she did so. "That was a fluke."

"It's not my fault you and Stahl took longer to get to the bridge than me and Lissa," Chrom pointed out, causing Robin to make a slight face.

Sighing, the tactician moaned, "I couldn't help it; we couldn't have just left Miriel and Vaike behind, not after she just suddenly showed up and Vaike nearly went running straight into the middle of battle as soon as he got his hands on his axe. That was totally a fluke that you got to the bridge first! One of us had to stay back and give orders."

"But a deal's a deal," Chrom insisted, grinning even more when Robin finally smirked back at him.

"So what's your grand order, chief?" Robin asked, mock-curtseying as she asked the question. "Want me to take a spear for you or something in every battle from now on?"

"No," Chrom said, pushing Robin lightly as he watched her scowl turn into a friendly grin. "I just think I should save this priviledge for later-especially since you're hardly the type to ever just follow my orders with questions. That's the rule, right?"

"Right, right," Robin waved it off. "Alright, it's a deal! Whenever you want you can give me one order to do anything-anything!-and I'll do it without complaining. Happy?"

"Couldn't be happier."

From a slight distance behind, Frederick and Lissa watched the young lord and tactician joke, the two of them looking more like best friends than two people who had only met a couple of days ago. As Chrom reached over and pulled at Robin's ponytail with a teasing look on his face, Lissa giggled a bit, catching Frederick off guard.

Glancing down at the healer, the knight was spared from asking the question on his mind when Lissa nodded at the two ahead and murmured, "They're awfully close, aren't they?"

Frederick looked up just in time to catch Chrom mid-laugh, the young lord looking more carefree compared to how serious he normally was. Reluctant though he was to admit it, even the ever-wary knight was beginning to see why everyone else was warming up to Robin so easily; she had not only earned their trust by her strategies, but had an obvious sense of friendliness around her that made it simple to feel safe nearby.

With a sigh, Frederick admitted, "Yes, they have grown close quick. All I can do is hope that it's for the better and not the worse."

This statement had Lissa pouting, but before she could complain how wrong she thought Frederick was the knight started and called out loudly, "We've arrived! We're at the borders of Regna Ferox!"

A large blast of snow accompanied his cry, and although it had been steadily growing colder as the troops had marched on, everyone was caught off guard by how suddenly it had gone from mildly freezing to a winter wonderland.

Picking up his pace, the knight clanked up to Chrom's right side, shielding his eyes as he and the young lord both looked up at the longfort that loomed over them.

"We made it," Chrom said, sounding relieved. "Now we can get help and Emm can stop worrying. "

"Why's it so cold?" Lissa whimpered, garnering a chuckle from Frederick and a sympathetic look from Robin. "It wasn't so bad awhile ago!"

"Stand beside my horse, milady," Frederick said in a motherly tone. "Perhaps she can shield you from the cold, if only a bit. "

While Lissa continued to frown and Frederick smiled and reassured her they'd be in the warmth soon, Robin tensed up. Seeing a look of wariness instead of her normal, easy-going smile, Chrom frowned and leaned a little closer to her. Glancing upwards to see where she was staring, he nearly bonked heads with her as she turned to him abruptly with an upset look on her face.

"I don't like this," Robin muttered, rubbing her arms as she frowned all the more. "It feels like something's just waiting to happen…like another battle in the making."

"Nonsense," Chrom snorted. "Look, just sit tight and let me handle this, okay?"

Ignoring the grumble of dissent from his tactician, Chrom walked out in front of the group until he was within shooting range from the longfort, before calling up, "Anyone there? This is Prince Chrom of Ylisse, come to seek an audience with the Khan!"

A heavily armored woman and several men with javelins appeared at his call, peering at him over the ledge with hardened looks on their faces before the woman called back, "Aye, and I'm a princess. Go away! We've no need for more of your kind here; bandits and liars, imposters all! Leave this place!"

Confused, Chrom called back up, "But I am Prince Chrom of Ylisse. What do you mean by imposters-"

"What I mean," the woman said cutting him off harshly, "is that you and your plegian band of idiots have been trying to storm this longfort and Regna Ferox for far too long. I've seen hundreds of 'Prince Chroms' and I've enough of it."

"I am no imposter," Chrom said with a frown, his hand already moving to the hilt of his sword. "I wish to speak to the khan."

"No imposter, eh?" The woman laughed, although it sounded more like a bark than a happy noise. "Fight me then, _prince _and we'll see who you really are. Prepare for battle!"

"No, wait-"

"FIRE!" the woman called, ignoring Chrom's protestations as those surrounding her heaved javelins towards the young lord.

Quickly Chrom reached for his sword in an effort to protect himself, but to his surprise he instead found himself flying through the air. Glancing back, he saw the people on top of the longfort shaking their weapons at him angrily. Immediately the young lord turned to see his rescuer, surprise painting his features as Sumia held the reins of a pegasus. Without looking back, the pretty girl said, "Better hold on tight, Captain. This could get rough."

"Ah, right," Chrom said, fumbling for words to express his gratefulness at her timing.

Glancing at him over her shoulder, Sumia smiled and said, "You'll be alright."

For a moment Chrom stared at her, wondering when she'd got to be so confident and pretty when he heard a noise below that startled him from his staring. Glancing down, he saw Robin and the others regrouping, all forming up for a battle.

As the white-haired woman began to give orders and point, the young lord watched her glance up at him and give a toothy grin before flashing him a thumbs up. Returning her smile, the young lord nodded at her before looking back at the girl in front of him.

Previous thoughts forgotten, Chrom drew his sword and said, "Sumia."

"Right!"

Together, the two flew down towards the main group as fast as they could, Chrom's eyes focused on only one person: his tactician.


	7. Chapter 6

_~Chapter Six: Present Day~_

It was a very tired Lucina that greeted her father the next day.

The little one rubbed at her eyes, still in her pajamas as she held Frederick's hand and watched her father suiting up for a march. As Chrom pulled his cape around his shoulders, the little girl murmured, "Will you be gone long?"

"Not too long," the Exalt reassured his daughter, adjusting the cape before turning to the shoulder piece he wore as armor. "I'm just going to drop your Aunt Lissa off with your Uncle Lon'qu and stay for a few days before coming back."

This got him a sleepy pout, before the four-year-old asked, "You aren't bringing Uncle Lon'qu back with you?"

Chrom smiled a little at the thought of it; Lon'qu spoiled his niece rotten and doted on her quite a bit, despite all his complaints of being bad with children. Shaking his head, the Exalt replied, "They'll be coming back together in a few weeks. Your aunt has some business to attend to in Regna Ferox."

"Well…" Lucina hesitated. "Don't take too long! I still want to hear all about Mother, and I know it's a long story!"

Finally finished with his preparations, Chrom turned around and crouched so that he was eye level with his daughter. Mussing her hair, he smiled at her before squeezing her nose lightly. As she giggled and pushed him off with her chubby, toddler hands, Chrom told her, "Since you know it's a long story, be patient alright? I'll be back in a few days, so please don't give Frederick too hard a time."

Lucina made a face, before leaning forward and making a beckoning motion. Complying, Chrom leaned forward and the little one cupped her hands around his ear and whispered, "I'll try, but it's going to be awfully hard if he keeps taking away my toy sword. I only destroyed one of the statues in the house once, and it was an accident!"

Stifling a laugh, Chrom pulled back and whispered, "That's my girl. Be good, okay?"

Lucina didn't answer, but instead threw her arms around her father's neck. They remained that way for a moment before Chrom gave her a gentle kiss on the forehead and stood up to shake Frederick's hand. Nodding at the Exalt, the knight said, "I will take care of her and the palace in your absence."

"Of course," Chrom said warmly giving his right-hand man a smile. "Give my best to Sumia; I know she's expecting."

Frederick blushed a bit at that, and Lucina wiggled in excitement, thinking of having a playmate nearby. Since the war and meeting their future children, many of the Shepherds had yet to actually start their families, although Lucina wasn't entirely without playmates; when Cordelia and Donnel visited the castle they brought five-year-old Severa along, and when Nowi and Gregor visited with their five-year-old Lucina would always have fun.

Nodding one last time, Chrom turned to depart for Regna Ferox before Lucina started, remembering something.

"Father, wait!"

Turning back, Chrom stopped as Lucina ran after him, before digging in her pocket. Patiently Chrom waited, but blinked in shock as his daughter deposited a small bonbon in his hand, the strawberry colored wrapper bright against the blue of his gloves.

"For your trip!" Lucina said cheerfully. "Since Uncle Gaius gave me some and I had extra, I thought I'd give one to you!"

Ignoring the look Frederick shot him, Chrom hugged Lucina tightly and murmured, "Thank you….Lucina."

Quickly standing up, he shoved the candy in his pocket and walked away as quickly as he could to where he knew the others were waiting for him outside.

* * *

><p><em>He sat in the middle of the field, staring up at the sky with a frown on his face as he hid from the rest of the camp. After ripping down the embarrassing posters that Frederick had put up in every tent, Chrom was too mortified to stay among his Shepherds; he'd left camp as soon as he'd dispatched of the terrible things, wanting to get out as soon as possible as Lissa couldn't stop laughing and he couldn't stop blushing. <em>

_With a loud, frustrated sigh, Chrom flopped down on the grass and put an arm over his eyes. Just as he was about roll over, he heard familiar sounding footsteps, before he felt someone sitting next to him in the grass. _

_He was silent for a minute, before he growled, "Don't. Even. Say. It."_

_There was a pause, before Robin's voice asked innocently, "Say what?" _

_Sitting up in a flash, Chrom stared his tactician down with a beet-red face as he stuttered out, "You know perfectly what!" _

_That earned him a smile; Robin shrugged, leaning back on her hands before saying nothing. Chrom continued to stare at her, wondering what was going to happen. They remained that way for several minutes; Chrom staring, Robin silent and admiring some nearby clouds. _

_Finally, the young lord couldn't take it anymore. _

"_I can't believe he did that," Chrom muttered, curling his knees to his chest and pouting. "Who does that to someone else? Getting a…a naked picture of me…and putting it up in everyone's tent…there goes any respect anyone might have had for me as a leader!" _

"_Well I can only speak for myself," Robin said casually, before her smile softened and she turned to face Chrom fully. Picking at some nearby flowers, she began to make a daisy chain before softly saying, "No one saw them, you know."_

"_Whatever. They were everywhere, there's no way-"_

"_No one saw them," Robin interrupted smoothly, "Because I saw Frederick putting them up and managed to tear most of them down before you came charging through on a rampage."_

"_Oh."_

_The two were quiet for a second, before Chrom sighed and said, "I just wish he didn't feel the need to do stuff like that…I'm not a child. I understand that he cares but that was overboard."_

"_Of course he cares," Robin said soothingly. "He just wants your approval. Don't be too upset with him, okay? He really did mean well." _

_At this Chrom just grumbled, knowing full well that his tactician was right-she usually was, and she never let him forget it. Before he could say anything else though, Robin bumped him with her shoulder roughly, catching him by surprise and nearly knocking him over in the process. _

"_Hey!" the young lord said, "What was that for?" _

"_No reason," Robin replied with a shrug, before rummaging for something in one of her vast pockets. "Actually, I didn't come looking for you because of what Frederick did.."_

_As she continued to search her cloak, Chrom tilted his head to the side with a puzzled look and asked, "You didn't?" _

"_Nah," Robin said, still digging. Her eyes lit up triumphantly a second after, and pulling her hand out of her pocket she grabbed Chrom's hand and pulled it towards her. _

"_Palm," she commanded, and obediently Chrom opened his palm only to watch as she dropped a brightly colored wrapper into his hand. As he stared at it, Robin said proudly, "Gaius had some extra sweets so he gave some to me and I had extra, so I thought I'd give one to you!" _

_Staring at it, Chrom couldn't help but smile, already feeling better about the afternoon's fiasco. Casually, easily, the young lord leaned on his best friend, their shoulders touching as he closed his eyes and a peaceful expression came over his face. _

"_Thanks," he murmured. "Thank you, Robin."_

* * *

><p>Chrom came to with a jolt, realizing that he'd been marching along stoically as he stared at the candy that lay in his palm. He hadn't expected Lucina to say something like that; something that her mother had said to him once before, nearly word for word. It was shocking enough that it had brought back a flood of memories.<p>

Bittersweet as it was, the Exalt had come to both love and hate the times he got lost in his thoughts. Robin was an imprint on his mind, something he couldn't bear to lose despite the emotional toll it often took on his current mood.

Ricken, noticing this, piped up, "Chrom sir, we're nearly at Regna Ferox. I bet you're excited to see Morgan and Lucina."

Instantly Chrom smiled; his children from the future were constant reminders that he wasn't alone in his quest to find Robin, their search never ending as they looked for their lost mother.

Before the Exalt could reply, Lissa interrupted and said, "I hope Owain and Lucina are back…speaking of all our kids, I have a question for you, Chrom."

"Yes?"

"Since you're telling this story to Lucina-that is, present Lucina-how are you going to explain that somewhere out there in the world right now is a future counterpart of herself and the other little kids she knows?"

Chrom hesitated; he hadn't thought of that.

Shaking his head, the Exalt shrugged and replied, "I can't very well leave them out of the story. I guess I'll just tell it like it is and hope she won't ask too many questions-she's only four after all."

"And she doesn't seem to care too much about the fine details so long as you're talking about her mother," Olivia pointed out, joining the conversation as she and Henry caught up from where they had been straggling behind. "She's a lovely toddler, although how you don't mix up which Lucina you're talking about I never know."

"Future Lucina is just Lucina," Lissa decided after a moment, " And little Lucina can be called Lucy for short. Since they're actually kind of different at this point since they've got different pasts, I think Lucy fits present Lucina a bit more."

"Lucy is a cute name," Olivia agreed, while Chrom just smiled and continued the march towards Regna Ferox, wondering if his future children had found anything in their stay with the Khans.

* * *

><p>"Father!" Morgan squealed, all but pouncing on the Exalt as he walked through the door to Morgan's study. The tactician-in-training hugged his father tightly, before pulling back and saying cheerfully, "It's so nice to see you!"<p>

Chrom smiled wide and ruffled Morgan's hair, pleased to see that his son was healthy and happy despite living separately from the only family he had.

"How've you been?" Chrom asked, moving aside a stack of books and papers to sit while Morgan flitted around him clearing space for a meal.

Setting up bread and tea, Morgan replied, "I've been great over here; Khan Basilio has been so nice to let me and the other children from the future stay here with him, although when Aunt Lissa and Lon'qu finally have present Owain I don't know what'll happen. I think we're all gonna move somewhere else."

"You're leaving?" Chrom asked, alarmed at the thought of not seeing his son.

Seeing the panicked look on his father's face, Morgan hurried to reassure him, "No, no, we're not leaving yet, but we plan on all leaving sometime. We all know you guys care about us, but we want you to focus on raising the present us too! Besides, I've got some places I want to travel in mind and I know Owain's got somewhere he plans on going next; Lucina will be going with him to keep him in check, of course."

Relaxing a bit, Chrom allowed Morgan to pour some tea before he said quietly. "I wish you wouldn't feel as if you have to be away from the castle and keep away from your present selves. I understand it's a bit of a conundrum, but all the same I miss you and Lucina. All of the Shepherds miss their children from the future."

"Don't worry, Father," Morgan said, sitting down. "We're all old enough to want to take care of ourselves a bit. And we won't be leaving for awhile so you can still visit!"

Chrom smiled, staring down at his drink before saying, "How optimistic you are…you're very much like your mother, you know."

"Thanks Dad," Morgan replied enthusiastically, a pleased blush slowly creeping onto his face. "Speaking of us…how's little Lucina doing? I know you've been taking care of her by yourself so I'm just curious…"

"She's fine; she's happy and healthy, just like you and your sister Lucina. Actually, she's been asking a lot about your mom."

"Really?" Morgan laughed. "So you're telling her everything, just like that?"

"It's more like a bedtime story for her," Chrom explained, smiling back at his son. "We're on the part where we went to fight 'Marth'."

"Ooooh, tell me too Dad!" Morgan asked, his eyes already in begging mode as he stared at his father. "You can always think of it like practice for telling little Lucina!"

Unable to refuse his child, Chrom shook his head and said, "Alright, alright! You don't mind not hearing the beginning part?"

"Nah, this is one of my favorite parts anyways. Go on!"

Chrom gave his persistent child a pretend stern look, before saying, "So we'd finally gotten past Raimi and the guards…"

* * *

><p><strong>Morgan is quite possibly the cutest thing ever, in my opinion :P I'd love to have a son like him in real life! I also actually really don't mind Sumia as much as I thought I would when I orginally started playing Awakening; quite honestly I think she and Frederick have one of the best romances in the entire game, I mean you can literally see them falling in love as he does stuff for her and guides her and admires her whereas with Chrom is just kind of seems like she's chasing and idolizing him and he's just kinda like, "yay pie". But that's just my opinion XD<strong>

**For awhile there I was worried about how I was going to have future characters going on while present characters were going on, but I think that in the end the future kids want to see their present selves grow up with doting parents. Also, they can visit whenever since they're grownup and can take care of themselves XD They already got a childhood with their parents even if it was cut short, so I think that they'd want to give their present selves the past they never had.**

**Wow that last paragraph sounds weird when I read it out loud XD Hope it makes sense lol. Anyways, thanks all for the reads and wonderful reviews, and I hope to see you on the next update! :)**


	8. Chapter 7

_~Chapter Seven:Days Past~_

Looking around, it was easy for Chrom to see that the West Khan's residence wasn't what he'd expected; there was a simple tapestry on the wall and a table with a few chairs, nothing more and nothing less.

On his right side, Robin was mumbling to herself. So intense was her mumbling that Chrom finally turned to look at her and asked, "What's wrong?"

"What's wrong with these people?" Robin grumbled back. "Who shoots spears and arrows at others and then immediately treats you like royalty when they're defeated?"

"The Feroxi do," Chrom replied. "They respect strength above all else-it's pretty much how they run their clan, or so I've heard."

"I wonder what the West Khan is like," Robin speculated. "I bet he's HUGE!"

At this Chrom snickered a bit before adding, "And burly."

"Yeah, and probably tall-"

"And hairy-"

"And-"

"And right here," a stern voice said, cutting off the tactician and the young lord's joking.

Together they turned, both of them with surprise on their faces as a tough looking woman stood by, watching them. She seemed to size them up, first glancing at Chrom with little interest in her eyes before turning her steely gaze to the tactician.

"Welcome to Regna Ferox, Prince Chrom," the woman said, "I'm Flavia, the West Khan. How may I be of service?"

"You're the khan?" Chrom said, blinking in surprise.

"Were you expecting some big, burly man?"

"No, I mean no offense, I just-"

"You must be really strong to be a khan," Robin said, respect in her brown eyes as she stepped forward and looked Flavia dead in the eye. Unflinchingly, the tactician continued, "I hope you're not too mad about what we said. We were only joking."

For a second the tension in the room was almost tangible, before Flavia broke out into raucous laughter and threw an arm around Robin, bringing her close for a hug that had the tactician gasping for air.

"You've got spunk," she admired. "I like that in a person. Anyways, what can I help you with?"

While Robin gasped for air and made faces asking for help, Chrom pointedly looked away and asked, "Ylisse has been having a problem with Plegia…we came to ask for backup from the Feroxi."

"Backup, huh?" Flavia pondered it, frowning while she began to absent mindedly ruffle the tactician's hair. "I'd give it to you, but I'm currently not in charge here."

"Aren't you the khan though?" Robin finally managed to break free, asking her question and darting around to hide behind Chrom as Flavia put a hand on her hip and looked at the Shepherds thoughtfully.

"West Khan," the intimidating woman said easily. "Every few years we hold a tournament with champions to determine whether the West Khan or the East Khan will be in charge…and it seems you're in luck. I'm in need of champions for the tournament tomorrow. If you help me win, I promise to grant you the aid of the Feroxi!"

Turning to face Chrom, Flavia stuck out her right hand and said, "Do we have a deal?"

For a second Chrom hesitated, before he felt a small push on his back; looking back over his shoulder, he saw Robin staring up at him with a serious look on her face. That expression was all the young lord needed to know-without further ado, he turned back to Flavia and grabbed her hand tight, shaking it and sealing the deal.

* * *

><p>Chrom bounced back and forth on his feet in anticipation as the Shepherds gathered around him readying their weapons. After agreeing to help, everything had happened so quickly that it was hard for the young lord to recall what had occurred; either way, standing in the middle of the arena wasn't the best time to mull over it.<p>

As Chrom adjusted his cape, he felt someone pull on it, and turning around he was surprised to see Lissa holding onto the material and staring with a blank expression across the arena. Immediately worried, he grabbed her arms and said, "Lissa! Lissa, what is it?"

"It's that guy!" she exclaimed, pointing across the arena. "The one who came out of that thing in the sky when we first saw the Risen!"

Chrom's head snapped up, and his eyes followed Lissa's finger only to see that his sister was right; across the arena, a familiar figure stepped forward with their mouth pressed into a thin line. Stepping up as well, Chrom put a hand on the hilt of Falchion and called, "You! Who are you?"

The swordsman said nothing, and for a moment Chrom wondered if he would when they shifted on their feet and replied back, "You may call me Marth."

The reference to the hero king had Chrom frowning, before the young lord's eyes went to the sword at Marth's side. Noticing once again the familiar gleam, he stifled a gasp before his eyes narrowed and he drew Falchion.

As he did so, Marth also drew his sword; there was a collective intake of breath from the Shepherds and those surrounding Chrom as they beheld a sword identical to Falchion, something that by all rights should have been impossible as Falchion was the only sword of its kind.

"Where did you get that?" Chrom breathed, his eyes shocked and his voice curious. Rather than answering, the figure darted forward with a slight grunt, sword swinging as he did so. Jumping out of the way, Chrom turned and crossed blades with the swordsman, matching him move for move as the two began to fight in the middle of the arena.

As the sound of sword on sword echoed around the arena and mixed in with the cheering Feroxi, Chrom asked, "Who taught you to fight like this?" Marth eerily seemed to match his every move, somehow knowing exactly what Chrom was about to do before Chrom knew it himself.

When they clashed swords again, struggling to push each other back, Marth said through gritted teeth," My….Father!"

Pushing Chrom off, Marth's expression was unreadable with his mask before he jumped back even further, allowing his men to surround him. For a moment Chrom stared at him, wondering what was going on when he suddenly felt himself being pulled back against his will.

"You're going to get killed if you don't get back in formation where you belong!" Robin growled out, and Chrom smiled as he forgot for a moment about Marth and the current issue; the tactician's obvious worry about her friend was poorly concealed by her order.

"I was coming, calm down."

"Hush up and get in formation. We need you to lead the attack triangle we're making so we can break through their offense. You can fight Marth or whatever his name is as soon as we beat all his cronies."

Glancing back at where Marth was standing with his men, Chrom narrowed his eyes before replying, "Alright. Give your orders, Robin."

* * *

><p>With a triumphant look on her face, Flavia walked off to give some orders to mobilize her troops while the Shepherds stood around talking about their battle; Robin's strategy had seen them all safely through, easily wiping out the opposition as they'd speared their way through those they'd been asked to fight.<p>

Chrom was in the middle of speaking to Robin and Frederick about their next move when they were interrupted by a loud voice.

"You fought well, kid," a deep bass boomed, and turning to look Chrom and those close by all watched with surprise as a brawny man walked towards them with a reluctant smile on his face. "If only I'd recruited you instead! Now that Flavia's in power she'll never let me live it down…"

"And you are?" Robin asked, sizing up the man with her eyes.

"Basilio," the man answered. "East Khan, former reining Khan might I add. You usurped me with that battle…and here I thought that Marth fellow wouldn't be beaten so easily! You must be the little lady that planned all those moves though-well done!"

His arm shot out; before anyone could stop him, the Khan had grabbed Robin into a rough hug, before he proceeded to muss her hair roughly. As she struggled underneath his grasp like a cat trying to escape, Sumia leaned over to Sully and whispered loudly, "The Khans really seem to like Robin…"

As the other Shepherds watched Robin complaining and Basilio laughing and doting on her all the more, they giggled a bit before Chrom shot them a look that told them to quiet down a bit. Finally releasing the tactician after a few more hair rubs, Basilio gave Chrom a pleased smile and said, "I like you kid; you and your group have a lot of spunk and strength. I'd like to make a contribution from the east side of Regna Ferox."

Turning, Basilio made a gesture with his right arm, and everyone watched as a silent young man walked up to stand by the khan's side. A serious frown graced his sharp features, the sword at his side gleaming as he stood tall and proud by Basilio.

Grinning as Robin's eyes got wide and at Chrom's surprised expression, the khan gestured at the man at his side before explaining, "This is Lon'qu, my best swordsman-I'm giving him to you as an addition to your army. He's represented me as a champion for as long as I've had him, so when Marth showed up and defeated him I was stumped."

While Robin leaned forward, her eyes practically scanning the man for strength and skill, Chrom looked at the khan with a frown on his face.

"What do you know about Marth?" the young lord asked, hoping to gain some clues about the mysterious man. The question of Falchion and the name Marth was mystery enough; Chrom couldn't imagine what motives the swordsman had.

"I don't know anything about him," the khan shrugged. "He just disappeared the way he showed up; unannounced and like a shadow."

"Huh," Chrom grunted, disappointed at the lack of information. Looking at Lon'qu, the young lord asked, "Are you sure you want to join us, then?"

"He gives orders. I kill people. I think our roles are clear," Lon'qu spoke, his expression unchanging.

"Wow, you're pretty tall…" Lissa spoke up, moving around Chrom from where she'd been standing behind her brother. Stepping closer, she looked at Lon'qu curiously and was about to take another step forward when the swordsman blanched and took a step back.

"Get away from me, woman!" Lon'qu barked, glaring harder than ever as he took another step back.

While Lissa and Chrom stared, appalled at the rude way he'd spoken, Basilio laughed, "He's not one for women, Lon'qu. But like I said before, he's the best man I've got."

"Not one for women?" Robin muttered in question, before she too moved forward to step next to Lissa. Staring even harder at the swordsman, the tactician pursed her lips in thought and tilted her head. The expression on her face had Lon'qu shifting nervously even more, before he grunted out, "What? What is it?"

Silently, Robin continued to stare at Lon'qu before a wicked smile came over her face and she wagged her eyebrows at the swordsman.

"You are going to be a _very _valuable addition to the army," Robin said in a tone that had Chrom heating up and Lon'qu quaking with fear and anxiety. "We're going to have a lot of fun fighting _side by side._"

As Basilio and the others laughed at the look of mortification on Lon'qu's face, Chrom found himself frowning at the teasing smile Robin was giving the swordsman. Unable to explain the slightly uneasy feeling in his stomach, the young lord reached out without thinking and grabbed the back of Robin's hood.

With a quick jerk he pulled her back to his side, the tactician yelping in surprise as she found her feet nearly dangling off the ground as Chrom held her up by her cloak.

"You don't have to be so rough," she complained. "What was that for? I'm only teasing him."

Suddenly realizing what he was doing, Chrom let go and nearly sent Robin crashing to the ground. Coughing in an attempt to hide the blush that was beginning to spread across his face, the young lord muttered, "Sorry. We should uh…we should get back to Ylisse."

As Chrom began to walk away, leaving the Shepherds to gather up their things and follow after, he heard the sound of footsteps before someone crashed into his back.

Turning around, he found himself looking on as Robin took a step back and rubbed her nose, obviously miffed at having run into him. The two were silent until the tactician sighed, "Hey. You alright?"

Chrom was caught off guard, and without thinking he responded, "Yeah, I'm fine. Why?"

"I dunno," Robin shrugged. "You just seem…worried or something."

While Chrom stared at her, wondering whether or not to confide in her about the weird feeling he'd encountered only moments ago, Robin shook her head before smiling at him. Elbowing him in a friendly manner, the tactician gave him a big grin before saying, "It'll be okay. Besides, I'm sure everything will be better now that we've got the Feroxi on our side…even though I'm not exactly fond of how much they like to play with my hair."

Scrunching her nose, Robin made a face that had Chrom laughing; instantly the young lord felt better, and making a face back he punched her lightly before giving her a smile.

"Thanks for being a good friend," he told the tactician, throwing an arm around her shoulders. "And thanks for being the best tactician ever-and for always cheering me up."

"You're welcome," Robin shot back. "What did you ever do before you found me?"


	9. Chapter 8

_~Chapter Eight:Present Day~_

"I don't remember you pushing me back in that fight, Father," Lucina's voice interrupted from the doorway of Morgan's study, breaking the spellbound silence that had fallen between her brother and father. "I had expected to win so I underestimated you and Mother."

As Chrom stood up to greet his daughter, Morgan threw himself on his sister with the same energetic hug he'd given their father before pulling back with an expectant smile. Smiling back, Lucina ruffled her brother's hair before looking up as her father approached her with his arms open.

The two hugged, before Chrom held her back and gave her a good look over.

"You seem thinner," he worried, "How was your journey?"

"Did you find anything?" Morgan asked with excitement in his voice, bouncing back and forth on his heels as he smiled at his sister. "I didn't think you were coming back so soon, so you must've found something about Mother!"

For a moment Lucina hesitated; her pause had Chrom alert and Morgan practically quivering with excitement. The three were quiet, before Lucina frowned and shook her head sadly.

"Owain and I were searching when we got Basilio's message that you were coming today, Father. I wanted to continue searching but Owain insisted we come back so that he could see Aunt Lissa and that I could see you."

"You did the right thing," Chrom said, reaching forward to pat her on the head. "I would've been sad to not see you at all, since I so rarely come to Regna Ferox."

"I was hoping to bring some news about Mother, or clues," Lucian said with a frustrated tone in her voice. Crossing her arms, the blue-haired woman shook her head and bit her lip before muttering, "I wanted to make you happy, Father."

Chrom was quiet at this, and both Lucina and Morgan exchanged looks before the Exalt sighed loudly. Looking at his children, he murmured, "I am happy, Lucina. I have you, and your brother and a little one back in the castle. I'm not unhappy, if that's what you think."

"But Father, it's been three years," Morgan said quietly, having calmed down at the solemn atmosphere that now pervaded the room. "We WANT Mother back…we were all happier with her around."

The young woman opened her mouth to say something when Chrom shook his head, before bringing both his future children in for another hug.

"You've both been so good," he told them. "And while I miss your Mother, I don't want you to think I'm unhappier for it. I have you both and Lucina in the castle, remember?"

"Father…" Lucina started, but was cut off by Chrom.

"Now," he said, interrupting his daughter with a tone that said he no longer wanted to speak about Robin. "Tell me and Morgan all about your travels."

* * *

><p>The two siblings sat in the dusty old study together, one reading a book while the other stood by the window and stared. It was silent save for the sound of the occasional page turn, before Lucina sighed loudly enough to interrupt her brother's studying.<p>

"Why won't he just admit how much he misses her?" the young woman grumbled. "Of course we all miss her, but it's obvious that the person most heartbroken is Father. Sure he's happy enough, but we both know how much happier he was when Mother was around."

Turning to face his sister, Morgan shook his head before replying, "Father doesn't want to admit that; at this point, he's just keeping up hope that we'll find Mother someday. It's been so long, Lucina…the first year he was eager to search and sure he'd find her, but with these past two years he's been searching with a kind of hopelessness."

"I thought he said he was sure he'd find Mother again."

"He is sure…but at the same time, it's probably discouraging to him that he's worked so hard and hasn't even found a single clue or trace of her."

As the two continued to talking about their missing parent, Chrom stood outside the study door with his mouth pressed into a thin line. After excusing himself for a quick conversation with Basilio, he hadn't expected to come back to hearing his children talking about him and their mother.

Not wanting to hear any more of the conversation, the Exalt turned and slipped off down the nearest hallway, heading for the outdoors.

It wasn't that his children were wrong; Chrom knew that. In the years that had passed since Robin's disappearance, he'd grown from eager to near hopeless; some days, he wondered if he would ever find his missing wife.

The imprint she was on his mind kept driving him to search, but even Chrom could admit that he wished he would have even a hint of where she might be or how to find her. It was almost as if her disappearance was some sort of elaborate scheme she'd cooked up herself in order to test Chrom and see how well he knew her.

"How typical of you, Robin," the Exalt murmured, pausing to look out a nearby window as he talked to himself. "Expecting me to know just like that."

* * *

><p><em>It was odd; there was no question of that. <em>

_Chrom had never thought himself to be the sort to get jealous, but as several days had gone by and the young lord had found himself spending more time alone the feeling grew. It had been a subtle feeling at first; when his tactician had started spending more time around Stahl, Chrom had ignored the churning feeling in his stomach and chocked it up to indigestion. _

_Stahl was friendly and a goofball, a beloved Shepherd among his comrades. Chrom knew perfectly well that the cavalier and Robin were on good terms, often pairing up for battle or sparring on their days off-so it hadn't been much of a shock to the young lord when the two of them started taking walks together, or visiting nearby towns as a pair. _

_But then the meetings between the young lord and tactician grew smaller and smaller, as did seemingly the distance between Stahl and Robin. _

_Chrom was determined to ignore it, to let Robin be, but deep down he couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of the way she was spending less time with her best friend and more time with someone else. For a brief time, the young lord had even wondered if he dared follow the two of them into town, but had decided not to for fear of being seen by his friend. _

_It was this feeling that tumbled in the young lord's stomach as he sat in the barracks, head down and feeling sorry for himself. He was so busy mulling on everything that had happened recently that when someone sat down across from him, he didn't move. _

_It wasn't until he felt someone's knee bump his that he glanced up; Robin sat across from him, giving him a puzzled look. _

"_Hey you," the tactician greeted her best friend. "Why are you moping around so much lately?" _

"_I'm not moping," Chrom denied her accusation indignantly. "I'm just…thinking about stuff."_

"_Oh yeah? What kind of stuff?" _

"_Stuff that you couldn't possibly be bothered to care about."_

"_Chrom," Robin snorted, "I'm your best friend. Just spit it out, I know you've been moping lately. Is it because I've been spending all my time with someone else instead of you? Were you lonely?"_

_Her last two sentences were said in a teasing tone, the kind of voice that she usually reserved for days where Chrom was frustrated or having trouble. Robin smiled at him, expecting to get a smile back but instead found herself getting a reaction she hadn't expected at all._

_Much to the tactician's surprise, Chrom turned a bright pink; quietly the two stared at each other, before Chrom looked away with his lips pursed. Blinking, Robin tried to take in this information while Chrom coughed and muttered, "I wasn't lonely…I just missed you a little. I mean, you ARE my best friend. I just miss your jokes, that's all."_

_While the young lord grumbled protests, obviously embarrassed at having been caught with his reason for sulking, Robin stared all the more before a smile slowly crept across her face. Leaning forward, she poked Chrom's arm and asked, "You missed me? You really missed me?" _

"_Yes, okay?" Chrom huffed back, not wanting to look her in the eye. "I missed you." _

_Her next words had shivers running down his spine; in a low, somewhat sultry voice, Robin said, "Chrom. Look at me."_

_Barely daring to breathe, the young lord turned his head to look at his tactician, the distance between them so close that he could smell her easily-the combination of grass, sun, and shampoo had him reeling before he realized that his tactician was really very pretty. _

_Staring all the more, he noticed the curve of her lips, and found himself wondering what would happen if he leaned forward. _

_A blush heated his face as Robin leaned in a bit closer, her breath blowing across his face before she said, "Close your eyes."_

"…_why?" _

"_I know now that you've missed me and that you were jealous that I was spending all my time with Stahl; so I'm going to give you a reason to not be so jealous anymore." _

_Hesitantly, Chrom stared at her before closing his eyes. _

_There was a pause, he felt her take his hands, and for a moment he thought she was going to kiss him when she said, "Open your eyes." _

_Obeying, Chrom found himself looking on as Robin sat back with a satisfied smirk on her face while he held a small package in his hands. The look of confusion was evident on his face; laughing, Robin said, "I spent all my time with Stahl looking to get you that thing you're holding in your hands. Happy birthday, Chrom!"_

_As the young lord stared at her, the tactician continued, "I didn't know what to get you and I guess Stahl heard me trying to figure it out so he helped me out by giving advice and stuff. I'm sorry if it made you so jealous to see your best friend hanging out with someone else, but in all actuality I'm kind of surprised you didn't guess it. I mean, you didn't seriously think I liked Stahl like that, did you?" _

_Chrom frowned at her before muttering, "Maybe I did…maybe I didn't. Look, don't do stuff like that again okay? I can never tell what you're thinking so I was sure you were going to be best friends with him instead of me."_

"_Silly," Robin chided, putting an elbow on the table and resting her chin on her hand. Grinning at Chrom, the tactician said, "As if I could ever be best friend with anyone but you!"_

* * *

><p>A few days later Chrom was saying good-bye to Lucina, Morgan, and Lissa as he prepared to head back to Ylisse with Basilio and a few of the Feroxi guards. Hugging his children and his sister, the Exalt gave his farewells before turning to where Basilio was waiting for him, the big man grinning in anticipation as they left the area.<p>

They were halfway back to Ylisse when the Khan finally brought it up; clearing his throat, the brawny man coughed, "So when were you going to go out and search for Robin yourself?"

Chrom's expression was one of surprise, before he shook his head and replied, "Why are you asking?"

"It isn't like you to wait in the castle when you could be out there looking for her yourself," Basilio pointed out. "I know you've got Lucina to raise but do you really want the little one to grow up without knowing how awesome her mom is?"

"I can't just leave her all the time," Chrom retaliated, feeling a bit bad as he remembered it had been awhile since he personally had left to look for Robin. "I don't want to leave her all alone there, that's almost as bad as not raising her at all!"

"Oh she won't be alone. There are plenty of Shepherds there to take care of her for a bit-why not go out next month with the old gang and look for her?"

"The old gang?"

"You, Frederick, Lissa…weren't you the three that found her in the first place? That's gotta be some part of fate, boy. Call it luck or superstition, but I think there's a better chance if you three set out like you did when you first happened upon her."

As Ylisse came into sight, both men fell quiet. Chrom debated whether or not the khan was right, while Basilio silently hoped that his urging would give Chrom the push he needed to get out of the castle and search again.

Before they could say anymore though, there was a small shout; looking up, the Exalt found himself watching as his four-year-old raced up the path towards him, Frederick walking behind her calmly.

"Father, you're home!" Lucina giggled, nearly crashing into the Exalt as she got close. The little girl giggled all the more when Basilio made a face at her and she waved to him. Turning back to her smiling father, Lucina allowed herself to be picked up and carried before she said, "I missed you."

"I missed you too," Chrom replied simply.

"Tell me more about mom on the way home?" Lucina asked, already eager to start talking about her mother despite just having seen her father again. As Chrom gave the exact same excerpt of the story that he'd given Morgan, he smiled at the way Lucina reacted; all smiles for her mother's cleverness and all scowls for the mysterious Marth.

He was about to stop where he'd left off for Morgan when Frederick told him, "Dinner is yet to be prepared, Milord. We were expecting you later, so I'll have to send word to the chef-we'll be waiting about an hour, I suspect."

As Lucina looked at him, expecting him to continue, Chrom shot his right-hand-man a look; the Exalt knew exactly what Frederick was up to. It was obvious by the smirk on the knight's face that Lucina had been troublesome while waiting for her father's return and the continuation of the story-Frederick clearly wanted Chrom to continue the story to the point where Lucina would be satiated, if only to stop her pestering.

Sighing, Chrom said, "Alright, where was I after the fight then?"

"You went back to Ylisse!"

"Right, Ylisse. When we got back, I was expecting everything to be better but somehow it ended up even more nightmarish than I'd planned…"

* * *

><p><strong>Yay update! :D<strong>

**I feel as if Chrom is the type to get jealous without knowing what it is at first and then when he does deny it profusely because it's a kind of childish trait and he doesn't want to admit it. But that's just my opinion :P **

**Anyways, thanks all for the reads and reviews! I hope to see you all on the next update :) **


	10. Chapter 9

_~Chapter Nine: Days Past~_

"What? Captured?" Chrom asked, an urgent tone in his voice upon hearing the news. The Shepherds had arrived back in Ylisse only minutes before the young lord and his closest allies had been summoned by Phila to where the Exalt waited with terrible news.

Now the small group stood in silence as they watched Emmryn's worried frown, the Exalt avoiding their eyes as she murmured sadly, "A town on the edge of our borders was burned and destroyed…and when Lady Maribelle attempted to intervene she was taken hostage across to Plegia."

"Maribelle!" Lissa cried, dropping to her knees with a distraught expression. Rushing forward, Robin placed an arm around the princess before looking up to see Chrom biting his lip with worry. Already sure she knew what he was thinking, the tactician spoke up.

"Chrom, we have to go get her," Robin insisted, pulling Lissa to her feet with the help of Frederick. "If we don't go soon…"

"I know, I just hate to think of meeting that mad king of theirs."

"Mad king?"

"King Gangrel," Emmryn corrected, answering Robin's questioning voice before shooting Chrom a look. "And we must give him a chance to prove himself not the villan we think he may be. I shall accompany you on this trip-we are to depart at once."

"Your Grace!" Phila exclaimed, Frederick nearly echoing her. "Are you sure it's safe to go?"

"I am sure it is safe with my brother and our new tactician to help out," Emmryn said, her expression one of completely surety. "Now please, tell the troops to reorder themselves for another march. We must hurry!"

As Emmryn walked out of the room with the others hurrying behind, Robin felt Chrom step up to her side. Without looking at her friend, the tactician asked, "Is he truly mad?"

It was Frederick that answered her;grumbling, the knight muttered, "Madder than a march hare. I hate to think of putting the Exalt and her siblings even within range of him, but it is against my principles to deny orders from her grace. We must make haste at once, if she wishes so."

While Frederick guided Lissa out of the room, speaking to her with low words of encouragement, Chrom sighed loudly in frustration. Gripping his hand tightly around the hilt of Falchion, he resisted the urge to punch something as he growled, "Gangrel…he thinks he can do as he pleases, first sending bandits into our lands, then imposters in our place…now this! I swear, I could-"

The young lord fell silent when Robin stood on her toes and began to pat his head, as if he were a child. While he stared off into the distance in surprise, Robin chided, "Stop worrying. It'll be okay-we'll get there, get Maribelle, and get out with no problem. You'll see."

When the tactician finally stopped her efforts to soothe her friend, Chrom sighed once more before smiling at her and shaking his head. Hoping that everything would turn out alright, he grabbed Robin's arm and said, "Let's go then."

* * *

><p>Robin stared, her eyes narrowed as she watched the man that stood above the Shepherds on a rock. Her eyes darted back and forth between the mad king and his advisor, a look of extreme dislike on her face as she took in the smug look Aversa wore and the triumphant look that Gangrel took on.<p>

Leaning over, the tactician grabbed Chrom's arm and squeezed it gently before muttering, "Calm down, okay?"

The young lord took a quick breath; he hadn't realized how panicked he had looked until Robin had said something. As Emmryn began to question Gangrel's motives, Chrom murmured back, "I don't like this…at all. It feels like some sort of trap, like he wants something…"

Before Robin could reply, Gangrel cried, "If you ever want to see that little blonde brat again, you'll be handing over the Fire Emblem!"

There was a collective gasp before Chrom glared even harder and Emmryn's eyes grew wide with alarm. For a moment Robin debated asking what the emblem was, when she exchanged a look with Chrom that told her he'd fill her in later. Silently, everyone watched as Emmryn's normally pretty face grew cold as she replied back, "I will not give you the emblem, King Gangrel. I only wish for peace; and I intend to see peace in that same manner. Do not start a war, I do not wish to fight!"

Gangrel exchanged a malicious grin with the woman at his side before calling back, "Did you say war? You're a rather nasty Exalt, aren't you? Well if it's war you want, then it's war you get! KILL THEM! KILL THEM ALL!"

"Emm, run!" Chrom grabbed his sister's arm and pulled her back into the middle of the formation, before the whole group took off towards the border from where they'd come. As Gangrel's cackles grew further and further, Emmryn managed to gasp out, "But Maribelle-"

"We'll get to her somehow," Chrom promised. "Let's just get out of this area where we could be surrounded and cornered-we'd be no help to her then. Come on!"

The group burst out into a mountainous area, looking around dazedly as they took in several, scattered forts. As the sound of troops marching towards them began to grow louder and louder, Chrom put a hand on Robin's shoulder and asked, "Are you ready?"

"Yes," the tactician replied without hesitation, pulling out her tome. "I'll see us through this!"

Already forming a plan in her mind, Robin moved quickly and began walking amongst the Shepherds, giving orders as she did so. As Chrom watched her expectantly, he suddenly heard a loud yell from the plateau above him. Looking up, the young lord found himself staring at Ricken; the young mage waved at the main group frantically, while Maribelle looked around with a wary expression on her face.

"RICKEN?" Chrom said incredulously. "What is he doing here? I told him to stay back at the castle!"

"It stands to reason that he trailed us here in order to prove himself worthy of joining the Shepherds," Miriel observed, the whole group watching with a mixture of awe and worry on their faces as the enemy troops burst onto the field and Ricken began flinging wind spells around with Maribelle behind him.

"Well who cares why he followed us!" Robin huffed, appearing by Chrom's side with Lon'qu trailing along behind her. "Everyone get with your partners and go! New priorty-get to those two and rescue them!"

Without further ado, the tactician threw herself into the fray; sword swinging, Robin ferociously cut down a charging wryven lord before turning in the same breath to allow Lon'qu to stab at the mercenary that followed. While the other fumbled to get together into formation, Chrom ducked through the crowd of Shepherds to get to Vaike's side, the fighter already eager to begin.

"C'mon, Chrom!" Vaike crowed. "The Vaike is feeling good today!"

"Oh yeah?" Chrom asked, raising an eyebrow as the two moved after Robin and Lon'qu, cutting down the soldiers that approached the group from the sides as everyone moved as a unit towards Ricken and Maribelle.

"Yeah," Vaike grinned. "Let's not let Robin beat us to the leader in this battle-he's ours for the taking!"

"Bloodthirsty, aren't you?" the young lord frowned, his eyes darting towards where Robin and Lon'qu where literally back to back before the swordsman left to dart over to Lissa's side as the healer moved out of formation to help Ricken and Maribelle join the group.

"Not bloodthirsty," Vaike replied, "Just ready to show them they shouldn't mess with the Vaike's mates!"

"That's the spirit!" Robin interrupted the two, leaping over them as she grabbed at Sumia's saddle. Swinging herself up behind the flier, the tactician held onto to the back of the saddle tightly before asking, "Ready, Sumia?"

"Right!" Sumia replied, turning once to give Robin a grin of confirmation.

"Break formation!" Robin cried, thrusting her sword into the air to signal a charge. "Split into two groups and move up the mountain, keeping archers in the middle and healers on the sides. Charge!"

As everyone answered her cry with a shake of their weapons, Robin gave Chrom a brief smile before she and Sumia ascended, leaving the young lord and his partner to continue the fight from the ground.

* * *

><p>It was with a weary sigh that Chrom stood in the courtyard of the castle, wondering at how once again Robin had managed to get them out of a tight scrape and to victory. After defeating Orton, the troops had made haste back to Ylisse and settled Emmryn into her room. It had left Chrom feeling unsatisfied; as the young lord thought back on Gangrel's demands, his fists tightened and he glared into the night.<p>

It was Robin's voice that interrupted his musings; coming up behind him, she hesitated before asking quietly, "Chrom?"

"Robin."

"You're awfully pensive tonight," she laughed softly, hoping to get a smile out of her friend. When her joke failed though, she fell silent before twisting her cloak in her hands with a worried look on her face.

Out of the corner of his eye, Chrom glanced over at the tactician and immediately felt bad; it was clear by the expression she wore that she was anxious to help him in some way.

"_Shape up, Chrom," _ the young lord told himself. _"Don't worry your friends; especially those that don't need the extra stress." _

To draw attention away from his own problem, Chrom coughed before asking, "Have you recalled any memories yet?"

"What?" Looking up with a confused look on her face, Robin stared at her friend as he shifted back and forth on his feet and repeated the question. As she stared him down, Chrom began to feel even worse when she finally pointed out, "You can't divert my attention from your problems by addressing mine. What's wrong now?"

With a sigh of defeat, Chrom admitted quietly, "Everything. Gangrel's demands, my sister's wishes that can't be fulfilled, the desire to pummel him into the dust even when I should want peace more than anything…It's a lot, I know."

"I can't exactly blame you. Even if I don't really have that great of a grasp on the power of the fire emblem, it still makes me pretty mad that someone would have the audacity to ravage a whole town and kill just to get the power to kill even more. He wasn't very sophisticated about his methods either."

"Yeah, it's just really…"

Chrom's words died off, his throat seeming to close as a some nearby bushes rustled and a familiar figure stepped out of the darkness. Standing tall and stoically, Marth moved quietly forward until he was mere feet away from the young lord. The two men stared each other down, neither one daring to make a move until Chrom felt Robin close behind him, her hand on the sword at her side.

"What are you doing here?" Chrom asked, feeling much more confident knowing his best friend was with him and would watch his back if Marth tried to attack. Much to his surprise however, Marth said nothing for a moment before unsheathing Falchion.

As Chrom also unsheathed his sword, Marth scoffed, "I'm here to save you."

"Save-"

"From him." With a twirl the swordsman turned, slashing into a man who had just jumped out of a nearby tree taking Chrom and Robin by surprise. As Marth turned back to give Chrom a triumphant smile though, there was a flash of silver in the bushes, and before the young lord knew what he was doing he'd rushed forward.

As he dashed towards the swordsman, Marth turned just in time to have his mask sliced in two; long blue hair fell from where it had been artfully pinned up, and there was an expression of shock on the pretty girl's face as she took a step back and Chrom took down the other attacker.

There was a moment of awkward silence before Chrom turned to look at Marth and asked, "You…you're a woman?"

For a moment Marth said nothing, before muttering, "Well it's about time you figured it out…"

Chrom stared and Robin opened her mouth to say something when there was a loud booming sound from the castle. Before either the tactician or young lord could say a thing, Marth grabbed her sword and said through gritted teeth, "Come on! We have to save the Exalt!"

"But you-" Robin started.

"I'll explain another time!"

As Marth ran off towards the Exalt's room, Robin and Chrom exchanged worried looks and followed after her.

* * *

><p>"Another enemy?" Robin panted, her eyes wide as she took in the woman who had somehow entered the fight that was occurring in the midst of the castle. After reaching the Exalt's room, the Shepherds had all broken up into groups and moved to defend their leader, Robin leading a group on her own as she slashed through enemies and made her way towards the outside walls where she knew the leader to be waiting.<p>

Just as the tactician began calculating whether or not it was better for her to just take out this new threat by herself, Marth called out, "Leave her be! She is an ally."

"A friend of yours?" Robin asked, eyeing the strange looking woman with a curiosity; beautiful as this new addition to the battlefield was, there was something strange about the way her hair seemed to be braided into what appeared to be rabbit ears.

"No, but I knew she would be here on this night to help."

For a minute Robin debated saying back something sarcastic when she instead shook her head and just looked at Chrom,who stood next to her with a frown on his face.

"We'll answer all questions later," he said quietly, answering the frustrated look on Robin's face. "Let's keep Emm safe first."

"Right," Robin said, reluctantly turning her back on the woman. "Emm."

The two crouched low into fighting positions before Robin rushed ahead, taking down the enemy and falling back to give Chrom room to shove through with the strength that she lacked. They fought with a synchronization that had enemies falling at every turn, their friendship off the battlefield seemingly having fueled their ability to read each other's thoughts when in battle.

As the two turned to take down those in the right hall and move towards the courtyard though, they were thrown off by a new opponent; a man with shockingly orange hair stood in their path, a look of disinterest on his face as he glanced over his shoulder at some approaching fighters.

"They're really not all that intimidating, are they?" he reflected, taking the lollipop out of his mouth and giving it a thoughtful lick before finally looking at the two people staring at him with confusion on their faces. "I joined their group thinking I'd get some sweet things but if I'd known they were going to be like this I would've just spent this time looking for something better instead."

"Who…?"

"Gaius," the man introduced himself, before grinning and slinking up to the surprised pair. Before either of them could do a thing, he slipped between the tactician and young lord to look them over before continuing, "I came to get treasure, but it seems like there's none here to be found. I might as well join you guys, but unless you can sweeten the deal I'm not interested in it."

"Sweeten the deal?" Chrom asked, before Robin pushed the thief aside and said, "On your left, Chrom!"

Turning she slashed at the enemy before finishing him off, muttering, "We've no time for this, either he's with us or he's against us!"

Looking at Robin with interest in his eyes, Gaius said, "You seem like a fun person. Full of happiness and all that."

"I am happy, when I don't have to deal with people like you who can't make up their mind whether they're good or not," Robin retorted back, sheathing her sword for a minute and turning to face the thief while Chrom patted his pockets down hoping he had some gold on him.

Gaius laughed at Robin's sarcasm, before allowing her to poke him and scrutinize him. He was about to say more when Chrom interrupted the both of them, spilling a sack of candy as he pulled it from his pocket.

"Damn!" Chrom cursed, "I forgot Lissa gave these to me!"

He moved to put the candy back in the bag when the thief put his hand on the young lord's arm, stopping him. Staring at the sack of candy with a sparkle in his eye, Gaius drooled, "Sugar…"

Chrom and Robin exchanged looks before Chrom asked hesitantly, "Did you…want them?"

"You drive a hard bargain, Blue," Gaius said, before grinning and swiping the bag of candy so fast that it literally seemed to disappear. "I'd love to be part of your crew, especially if you continue with the sugar like this."

"Uh, right then. Well, let's go," Chrom ordered, feeling a bit confused at what had just happened. "You'll be listening to Robin here, since she's the one who does strategies…"

Gaius looked at Robin again before smirking in a way completely different from how he'd smirked at Chrom.

Taken aback, Robin muttered, "You should head to the middle area and join them until I can figure out your battle style…"

Leaning forward, the thief put his face closer to Robin's and said, "So you're the one I'll be listening to? You seem like a sweet girl…sweet enough to eat, really. Sure you're cut out for a battlefield like this?"

Robin blushed and Chrom frowned, both of them a bit unsure of Gaius' teasing until the orange-haired man pulled back with a laugh.

"So innocent!" he teased both of them. Turning to Chrom he gave him a wink before saying, "Don't worry, Blue, she's all yours. I'll be seeing you after the battle for more sweets."

As the thief took off easily, Chrom blushed bright red. To cover his embarrassment at Gaius' comment, he muttered, "I feel as if I've just taken on a rather troublesome person. And-and I don't know what he meant with that comment at all."

"He's just kidding, I'm sure," Robin breathed, avoiding looking at Chrom as she tried to calm down her suddenly racing pulse. Although she didn't want to admit it, the thief's comment had her wondering if it was that obvious to outsiders how close she and the young lord were; more often than not, the tactician had felt a secret pride in the fact that she seemed closest to Chrom, even in comparison to those he had known for years.

Straightening up, she unsheathed her sword again and coughed, "A-anyways, let's focus on the battle at hand. Let's go, Chrom!"

As Robin dashed forward, throwing herself back into the fray, Chrom nodded and gripped Falchion tighter.

"Right," he muttered, more to himself than to her. "Focus."


	11. Chapter 10

_~Chapter Ten: Present Day~_

As Chrom approached the castle gates with Lucina in his arms, he was surprised to see everyone waiting for them at the gates. Putting Lucina down, the Exalt frowned and opened his mouth to ask what was going on when Gaius stepped forward with an unusual look on his face.

"Been waiting for you to get back, Blue," the thief said, as Lucina ran over to Sully and let the redhead swing her onto her shoulders. "Libra came for a visit and wanted to talk to you about something. Said it was urgent."

"Urgent?"

"There have been no details yet," Sully grumbled, allowing Lucina to play with her hair. "But we've all been itching to find out what it is-if there's trouble somewhere you better believe we're on it."

"I'm sure it's no trouble," Frederick said in a rush, seeing the worried look that was already beginning to spread across Chrom's face. Turning to give the others a meaningful look, the knight began guiding the Exalt into the castle and left the others to stand around awkwardly, wondering what was going to happen.

As the adults all began to murmur amongst themselves, Sully felt Lucina shift on her shoulders before the toddler asked, "Why is everyone so worried?"

Moving towards her husband, Sully replied, "They're worried we'll have to suit up again for a fight. We haven't had many of those since your mom's been gone."

"My mom was a good tactician, right?"

"The best!" Virion pronounced as Sully reached him and handed Lucina over. While the paladin adjusted her armor, Virion continued, "A more glorious woman I have never met-besides you of course, dear."

Lucina giggled at the glare Sully was giving her husband, before asking loudly, "What're you going to do if you have to fight?"

"We fight whenever Chrom says. We gotta protect you," Stahl said good-naturedly, coming over from where he'd been standing to ruffle Lucina's hair affectionately.

"But don't you have to protect Cherche too?"

"I can protect myself without my husband's help, although it's appreciated," Cherche said with a smile on her face, walking up to join Stahl. "Thank you for the thought though, Lucina!"

As the adults stood around, wondering whether or not to start gathering their things, Lucina frowned. The four-year-old was loathe to bring it up, but she couldn't help but wonder what would happen if her father really did declare that the Shepherds were to go on the march or on a patrol.

For all her youth and innocence, even Lucina could tell that her family-of-sorts was uneasy when they heard news of battles, often shifting from foot to foot and giving off worried looks. At first she had wondered if it was the idea of fighting itself, but after hearing how her father praised her mother with every part of the story yet, Lucina was slowly coming to realize just how big a hole her mother had left behind.

Without thinking, the four-year-old blurted out, "I wish my mother was here."

Everyone within earshot froze, before those nearby knelt down and began to pat Lucina comfortingly. In an uncharacteristically gentle voice, Sully told her, "I know it's hard kid, growing up with your mom. But it'll be okay-we'll bring your dad back here safely even if we do have to go fight somewhere."

Frowning, Lucina shook her head furiously before pronouncing, "I'm not worried about Father at all! He's so strong that I know he'll be okay! I'm worried about all of you too-all my aunts and uncles! If my mother was here I know she'd get everyone out safely, just like she did in all those other fights Father told me about…"

Immediately everyone got the sappiest looks on their faces; rushing forward all at once they hugged the little girl, making statements about how glad they were to have stayed in the castle with Chrom and how they were happy to be considered family to her.

Smiling and taking it all in, little Lucina glanced towards the doors of the castle, hoping for everyone's sake as well as her father's that there was only good news to be had.

* * *

><p>Libra rose and bowed as Chrom walked into the waiting room, the priest's long hair nearly touching the floor as he did so. Raising a hand to wave it off, Chrom murmured, "It's alright, Libra. Please, sit down."<p>

While Chrom walked around to the opposite chair, Libra sat with Frederick standing behind the Exalt. There was a bit of silence as everyone adjusted in their seats, before Chrom looked up expectantly at the visitor. Not wanting to get into unpleasant news right away, the Exalt asked, "Before you tell me the reason for your visit, I have a few questions."

"Questions, your grace?"

"How are Panne and Yarne? How is the orphanage?"

"Oh!" Eyes lighting up, Libra thought happily on his family before replying, "Both are well-Panne seems to be adjusting particularly well to parenting a toddler, although she asked me to ask you if there were any tips you wanted to share with us on the subject. The orphanage is doing well too, and all the children are more than eager to see you and Lucina when you come down for a visit next month."

"Good," Chrom smiled, before a serious look came over his face. "Alright Libra, what news do you have for me? Gaius mentioned it was something urgent…"

The smile fell from Libra's face, and the priest nodded before murmuring, "Urgent indeed-there has been strange weather near Southtown as of late."

"Strange weather?" Frederick voiced Chrom's question, practically reading the Exalt's mind. "What do you mean?"

"Storms have been brewing more and more as of late, but the clouds always seem to converge in one spot in the middle of the sky…everywhere else the sky is blue and clear but that one particular spot."

"One spot?"

"A field full of weeds and daisies," Libra clarified, watching carefully as Chrom sat up with an urgent look on his face. "Every day for the last week, hovering over the exact same spot. Many believe it's a sign…and I am one of those."

"A field full of weeds and daises, near Southtown…" Frederick muttered, while the Exalt sat staring at Libra. "Clouds and strange weather…but only in one spot…it certainly seems like something is happening there."

"Has…" Chrom managed to get out one word, causing both Frederick and Libra to look at him. "Has anything else happened there yet? Have there been any predictions of what might happen when those clouds finally dissipate?"

There was dead silence in the room, before Libra said slowly, "I would ask your son, Morgan on the subject, as he is the most well-versed person I know predicting what such signs may bring. But it is my personal belief that this may be the sign you've been waiting for, your grace."

"Robin," Chrom breathed, before bolting out of his chair and running out the door. Ignoring Libra's and Frederick's calls after him, the Exalt ran down the hall quickly, moving faster than he ever had before. His feet seemed to have a mind of their own as he dashed through the hallways, passing Sully and Virion.

Chrom blew past Olivia and Henry, and ignored Miriel and Gaius when they all called after him asking what was wrong. He darted around Stahl and Cherche, and finally burst through the doors that led out to the gardens of the castle.

Running, nearly out of breath, the Exalt did not pause in his mad dash until he'd finally reached the place he'd been aiming for. Worn out, he stumbled over to a secluded area of the garden, before slipping through the hedges that lined the entire area and separated the castle grounds from the outside world.

Eyes forward, Chrom moved with purpose in his step, not stopping until he'd finally reached his destination; a small distance away from the palace gate-like hedges, a small hill with a tree waited for him.

Sinking to the ground, Chrom lay flat on his back and stared up at the darkening sky before closing his eyes. It had been ages since he'd come out to the hill, though that had been more a result of his busy schedule rather than by choice.

It had been Robin's favorite place to escape from the castle-often times the tactician had pulled Chrom through the hedges with her, the two of them laughing quietly as they avoided everyone else and made their way to what had been a private oasis for the two of them.

There, away from prying eyes, the two had been both best friends and lovers more than ever. They talked for hours, and watched the sunrise and stars on the hill.

It was the only thing Chrom had besides Lucina and his future children as a reminder of the wife he was missing.

Now, with the promise of something that seemed to foreshadow what could be a triumphant return, Chrom lay on the hill silently before murmuring quietly, "Wait for me, Robin. I promise I'll come find you."

* * *

><p>"<em>Is Robin coming?" Chrom asked, leaning over and whispering to Frederick as his eyes scanned the throne room. The young lord was draped in an unusually ornate cloak; the deep blue matched both his eyes and hair, all velvet and fur compared to what he normally wore. <em>

_While everyone in the court whispered amongst themselves with excited looks on their faces, Frederick reassured his charge, "I'm sure she'll be here soon-I know she wouldn't miss your coronation for the world." _

_As Frederick smirked at the young lord, Chrom turned bright pink before muttering, "What's that supposed to mean?" _

_Rather than answering, Frederick's nodded towards the entrance; much to Chrom's relief, Robin walked through the doors with a small group of people. The tactician was uncomfortable, the look on her face saying more than enough as she walked in between Sumia and Lissa. Both women held onto Robin's arms, steering her through the gathered crowd and to where several of the male Shepherds were standing around with the Khans. _

_Chrom watched as Basilio laughed about something and Flavia punched Robin on the arm, both of them clearly making fun of the way Robin looked-rather than wearing her customary black cloak, she was completely dressed up. _

_It was obvious by how Lissa seemed to be showing her off that the princess had taken matters into her own hands and dressed the tactician herself. _

"_She looks nice, doesn't she?" Frederick murmured to Chrom, although the knight's eyes rested on Sumia's face. "They really went all out."_

"_Yeah…" _

_Turning from where she was admonishing Lon'qu, Robin scanned the room before her eyes met with Chrom's. Instantly a smile lit up her face, and she gave him a small wave that sent his heart into overdrive. He'd given a rather heated proposal after defeating Gangrel, and hadn't expected the tactician to respond the way she had, despite knowing that they'd seen each other romantically for quite awhile. _

_Everyone in the room fell quiet as the officials presiding the ceremony began to talk. As the coronation began, Chrom caught Robin's eye again and mouthed, "Wait for me after this."_

_When the coronation was finally over and everyone began moving around and heading towards the grand hall for the celebration, Chrom slowly slipped into the midst of the crowd, hoping to get lost. His plan worked; within minutes Frederick was worriedly scanning the room, before the knight urgently walked over to the other Shepherds to enlist their help in finding the new Exalt. _

_Shrugging off the elegant cloak and putting it on a nearby statue, Chrom edged around the crowd and ducked his head, somehow managing to escape without anyone noticing. Free of constraints and prying eyes, the new Exalt took off running at full speed towards where he was sure he'd find the tactician. _

_When he burst onto the balcony of the ballroom, he frowned; Robin was nowhere to be seen, the whole area quiet and seemingly empty. Chrom was about to turn around when a sound startled him; there was a light rustling noise before Robin giggled, "Fooled you." _

"_Yeah, you did," Chrom admitted, before stopping to catch his breath as he took a good look at the tactician. His eyes went from her bare shoulders to her slim waist, the deep blue dress hugging her figure as the skirt flared out around her. Grinning, Chrom told her, "You look good." _

_Instantly Robin turned red, before avoiding his gaze and murmuring, "Thanks. It was Lissa and Sumia, really." _

"_Still," Chrom said, taking a step forward. "It's nice." _

_Reaching out, he hesitated for a moment before gently taking one the many white curls that hung around her face, wrapping the hair around his hand and marveling at its softness. It was incredible to think that barely a year ago they'd met, and that barely a year ago he hadn't even thought of her as the woman he knew her now to be. _

_His friendship with her had changed the way he looked at things; the way he looked at her being the thing to change most of all with every day the two had spent together. _

_For a moment the two said nothing, until Robin glanced up at him and said, "You meant it…right?"_

_Chrom gave her a confused look until she turned even more red and stuttered out, "All that stuff you said after we defeated Gangrel…you meant it, right?" _

"_O-of course!" _

"_Good!" _

_The two stared each other down, both flustered for a few minutes before they realized how silly they were acting. Slowly the awkwardness seemed to melt away as the two began to laugh, and as the laughter grew louder and louder they eventually calmed down. Looking at Robin, Chrom told her, "I meant every word."_

"_You've got a country to rebuild," Robin reminded him, her breath speeding up as Chrom dropped a hand to her waist and drew her closer. "You know, before anything can happen. You might have to come get me when you're finally ready." _

"_Wait for me then," the Exalt told her, pressing a gentle kiss to her forehead. "And I promise I'll come and find you, no matter where you are."_

* * *

><p>Chrom sat in the great hall with Lucina on his lap, absent-mindedly patting her head as he asked, "Have we sent word back to Regna Ferox that we'll be heading there again?"<p>

"Actually," Sumia piped up, "Basilio left as soon as Libra shared the news with everyone. He said that he would personally let everyone know and send Lissa and the other back here so that you could leave as soon as possible."

"Lissa's coming?"

"Well we all thought it would be best if you, Frederick, and Lissa decided to investigate this," Ricken admitted, before Henry chuckled at Chrom's surprised face.

The dark mage teased, "You started this Chrom! So go finish it, we'll take care of everything!"

"As if anyone would trust you to take care of something," Tharja smirked from across the room. Before the hexes could start flying, Olivia said, "Why don't you finish telling Lucina more of the story then, before everyone arrives in the morning and you don't have time?"

At the dancer's suggestion everyone looked expectantly at Chrom, who sighed, "Have I become a nurse maid for a bunch of kids?"

"Please tell me more of the story, Father!" Lucina intervened, smiling up at her parent. "I'm sure everyone else really wants to hear the rest of it too!"

"_It might keep me from being too anxious," _Chrom thought to himself, before shaking his head and giving everyone a smile of defeat.

Settling more comfortably into his chair, the Exalt started, "We were to send Emmryn to safety-it was the only way I could think to protect her at the time. Unfortunately, things didn't go as smoothly as planned…"

* * *

><p><strong>Suspense! Also, long chapters XD <strong>

**A storm is brewing…hopefully Chrom can take it without losing his head! :P Anyways, I'll try and update again in a few days but as school is starting back up again I may lose speed on how often I update. I do hope you all try to look out for this story when I do update it though! **

**Thank you all for the reads and reviews as always, I look forward to hearing from you guys and getting opinions : ) Until the next update then! : )**


	12. Chapter 11

_~Chapter Eleven: Days Past~_

As his comrades panted around him, all of them exhausted, Chrom glanced over to see Robin glaring down the enemy with such energy that it was hard to believe that she'd been leading the fight against the plegians for a good thirty minutes without a partner.

She stood at the head of the Shepherds, taking down foes with a sweep of her sword before turning to give orders to let one group forward and another group rest.

"Doesn't…that woman….ever run out of energy?" Vaike gasped as Maribelle supported him, using her staff to help close a gaping wound in the fighter's arm. "She's….been leading a charge…on her own for…half an hour!"

Chrom frowned, a worried look on his face as he glanced back at where Robin continued to fight and give orders at the head of the group. She'd told him to stay put at the back for once and not fight, but anxiety was already pushing the young lord to go against the tactician's orders and join her side.

From the back of the group, Donnel trembled; it was the young man's first true battle after having been accepted as a new Shepherd, and though Robin had kept him in the back after the group had encountered the surprise attack he was still having trouble watching what was going on.

"Your majesty sir," Donnel gulped, "Why's Robin fightin' by herself up there?"

"That's what she wants to do. She gives orders and we follow her strategy," Chrom said, although even to his own ears the words sounded strange; he was so used to telling other this that it was hard for the young lord to accept that this time he was in the back of the group instead of by Robin's side. "This is the first time she's done something like this though…"

"That bishop was a piece of work," Sully growled as she stretched, preparing herself for her turn as she saw Robin signaling Frederick and Sumia to fall back. As Virion tested his bow strings next to her, the cavalier continued, "If I'd known ahead of time what that pig was going to do I would've just dealt justice to him myself…"

"You can't help but wonder how Robin's taking this," Ricken murmured, thinking aloud. "None of us were expecting this and it's not our first surprise attack, but for some reason this feels even more rushed than when Lady Emmryn was attacked."

"What do you mean?" Chrom said, turning his attention to the mage as an uneasy feeling stirred in his stomach.

"She looks kind of tired up there," Ricken said, startled at Chrom's slightly angry tone. "I don't think she's leading this charge for the reasons we might assume…"

Staring even harder, Chrom said, "I get it. That idiot!"

Ignoring those around him as they began to question what was wrong, the young lord broke through the groups that were lining up to go. He was close to reaching Robin when he paused; standing in his way was Cordelia, a frown on the redhead's face.

"Did you not say it would be best that we listen to Robin? What's wrong, sir?"

"I have to get to her," Chrom said with urgency in his tone. "Now. Right now."

For a moment there was a flicker of hesitation on Cordelia's face, before the beautiful woman stepped aside and allowed Chrom to pass. Pushing through the remaining soldiers, Chrom reached forward and grabbed Robin's arm roughly, taking her by surprise.

"Gah! Chrom!? I told you to stay in the back!" Robin said, her eyes wide as she turned her gaze away from the battlefield.

"I can't just sit in the back while you take all the enemies on yourself!"

"I'm not-"

"Yes you are! Gods alive, Robin! You don't have to take on all the enemies by yourself just so you can save our hides! We're all capable of fighting on the battlefield without you worrying that much about protecting us!"

Wheezing for breath, the tactician stared at Chrom before muttering, "Sorry."

Nodding in acceptance of her apology, Chrom sighed before saying, "Rely on me a little more, would you?"

* * *

><p>As the group reconvened, heading back towards Ylisse, Chrom glanced around the group to see Robin marching at the very back. She was the last Shepherd on the path, a frown on her face as she stared at the ground with regret in her eyes.<p>

Falling back, Chrom allowed everyone to pass him until he had fallen into step with the tactician. For a moment neither one of them said a thing before Robin sighed loudly.

While Chrom looked over at her, Robin muttered, "I just didn't want anyone to get hurt if I could help it. If I was at the head of the charge then I could see everything going on and keep everyone else out of danger…"

Chrom was silent, before replying, "That's all fine and well, but if you get hurt how do you think the rest of us would feel? That would throw us all off even more!"

"Shush," Robin grumbled. "I had no plans of letting myself get hurt."

"So stubborn," Chrom growled back, tension rising between the two. "Honestly Robin, how do you think we'd feel if you were seriously injured? How do you think I'd feel?"

At his last question the tactician paused, before murmuring, "I…I don't know. How would you feel?"

"You're my best friend," Chrom muttered back, before turning a little red. "You know everything about me…literally at this point. I mean, you even walked in on me bathing-"

"That was an accident!" Robin hissed, pink already beginning to creep its way across her normally pale cheeks as her eyes darted to the group ahead of them, the tactician hoping no one could hear their conversation. "You already said it was water under the bridge and you'd never bring it up again!"

"I'm just trying to make a point! I'd be really worried if you got hurt, okay?! I'm sure you'd be just as worried if I got hurt!"

"Well you don't have to bring that up to make that point! Besides, that's why I put you in the back, I knew they were targeting the fire emblem and since Emmryn gave it to you-"

"So what?! If you got hurt there'd be no point in keeping me in the back, I'd be so worried that I'd forget what was going on and just charge recklessly!"

"Don't be dumb! You're the prince of Ylisse and have to keep yourself safe!"

"Well you're the royal tactician and have to keep _yourself _safe!"

The two huffed, both slightly out of breath at the furious way they'd been whispering at each other. Staring each other down for a moment more, they suddenly realized that they were being watched; turning to look at the same time, both of them made mortified faces as they saw the entire army staring back at them with the world's sappiest looks on their faces.

It was Gaius who broke the silence; as everyone began to giggle, the thief called, "Lovers spat?"

"We're not having a lovers spat!" Chrom and Robin said simultaneously, before both turned red in the same breath.

As everyone laughed all the more and shook their heads, turning their attention away from the pair, Chrom sighed before murmuring low to Robin, "Seriously though…don't do that again."

While everyone looked ahead towards Ylisse, talking amongst themselves, Robin felt Chrom grab her hand and squeeze it gently. Not daring to breath, the tactician wondered if he was going to pull away-when he didn't, a small smile made its way across the tactician's face before she squeezed Chrom's hand back in response.

For a moment everything seemed like it was going to be okay, when a shout broke through the peaceful moment.

"Sir Chrom!" a soldier called, running up the path frantically towards the Shepherds. "Lady Emmryn! She's been kidnapped!"

* * *

><p>Ignoring the newest recruits to the group, Chrom turned to Frederick and asked, "How soon do you think we'll be at Castle Plegia?"<p>

"A few hours, Milord," Frederick bowed.

Chrom opened his mouth to ask more when he was interrupted by Robin; walking up to the young lord, the tactician nodded at Frederick before announcing, "They say their names are Nowi and Gregor…the man's a sellsword and she's a manakete."

"I never thought I'd see one," Chrom reflected, looking over at where the two were now talking to the rest of the group. He hadn't expected to run into trouble while crossing the desert towards Plegia's capital, even though he knew the journey would not be a smooth one. "But I'm glad we have them on our side-we'll need all the help we can get to save Emm."

As the young lord turned back to Frederick and began to talk again, Robin watched him with loneliness in her eyes. After hearing that Emmryn had been kidnapped, Chrom had nearly charged off on his own and deserted everyone else-his haste to get to his sister was apparent in everything he'd done since receiving the news.

The tactician understood his anxiety and need to get to his sister, but at the same time felt a slight sense of emptiness at how Chrom had suddenly seemed to distance himself from everyone; the young lord had barely said a word to anyone, and had yet to make true eye contact with someone. Even Lissa seemed to be taking the news better than her brother, the healer doing her best to keep up a positive attitude despite the fact that she was clearly hurting.

When Chrom finished talking to Frederick, he turned to lead the march when he found himself looking at an unusual sight; Robin stood to the side with her cloak clenched in her fists, a frustrated look on her face. While Frederick excused himself to give everyone orders to being marching again towards Plegia's capital, Chrom walked closer to his friend before frowning and asking, "Robin? What's wrong?"

Startled, the tactician jerked back; she hadn't thought Chrom would speak to her, let alone ask her what was wrong in the wake of the problem he was currently facing. Quietly, she murmured, "Nothing."

"Come on, tell me," Chrom insisted, worry painting his features as he leaned in closer. "What is it? Are you worried your plan to get Emm won't work? I'm sure it'll work this time too-"

"That's not it!"

Chrom fell silent at Robin's outburst, before he understood what was wrong. Reaching out, he patted her on the head, imitating the way she'd first tried to comfort him before the death threat on Emmryn. Giving the first smile since hearing the news of his sister, Chrom said, "I'm okay, Robin. I said you could rely on me, right? I meant that-I'll be okay, even when I see Gangrel. I promise not to go charging off and disobeying your orders."

"Idiot," Robin muttered, before her cheeks turned pink. "I just worry that you don't want to rely on me."

"Huh?"

"If I'm going to rely on you, then you need to rely on me too!"

Staring down at Robin, Chrom felt himself smiling even wider before he stopped patting her on the head and straightened up.

"Let's go save Emmryn," the young lord said, offering Robin his hand once more. As if it was second nature, Robin slipped her hand into hers, and together the two moved after the already-marching army.

* * *

><p>It was hopeless; Robin knew that.<p>

The Shepherds and Feroxi had fought their way across the dunes and into the courtyard of Castle Plegia, not only picking up a war cleric on their way but somehow managing to recruit a dark mage from the other side. Against all odds, they had secured what had been a promising victory and a rescue had seemed possible, until an unexpected group of Risen appeared and slaughtered the captain of the guard and the remaining Pegasus knights that had escaped Plegia's first attack on Ylisstol.

While the Shepherds and their allies fumbled, wondering what to do next, Gangrel stood nearby and shouted triumphantly that Chrom was to either surrender the fire emblem or watch his sister die, a hundred or so archers training their arrows on Ylisse's Exalt.

With little time to make a decision, all eyes had turned to Robin and Chrom, everyone hoping for the tactician to say something that would reassure them they had one more chance to make things right.

For the first time since Chrom had found her, the tactician was at a loss for what to do; next to her, Chrom panted furiously, his eyes trained on Emmryn as she stood atop the highest point of the courtyard with her own eyes trained on the sky.

Robin opened her mouth to say something to Chrom, when he closed his mouth and straightened up. Without looking at her, he said quietly, "I know. I can't ask you to make a decision like that."

"Chrom…"

With a torn look on his face, Chrom glanced down at the emblem on his arm before his mouth pressed into a hard line; Robin felt her heart tearing as she watched her friend's conflicted expression, wishing with all her might there was some other option.

"Chrom don't give up-I'm sure there's a way!" Robing pleaded, not wanting to sacrifice Emmryn despite knowing the ramifications of giving up the fire emblem.

"Hurry and make a decision, princeling!" Gangrel called, a malicious grin on his face. "Before I lose my patience and make your sister into a pincushion!"

"Gangrel hold!" Chrom burst out, stepping forward as he did so. "I'll give you what you want-everyone lay down your weapons…"

As the Shepherds looked at each other uncertainly and began to disarm themselves, Emmryn cried out, "No, wait!"

"SILENCE!" Gangrel screeched.

"Chrom please!" Emmryn pleaded, ignoring the mad king. "Please don't do this!"

"I know you won't approve," Chrom said, his mouth pressed into a tight line. "But in the end this is my decision! Maybe someday there would've been a time where the Fire Emblem could've helped us…MAYBE. But more than anything Ylisse needs you now! And Lissa and I…we need you. If anything happens we'll weather through-together!"

There was a pause, before Emmryn took a shaky breath and stepped forward to the tip of the precipice.

"Thank you, Chrom," the Exalt said in a voice so calm that it had those who heard it suddenly feeling warm inside. "I know what I must do."

"Emm-"

"Plegians!" Emmryn cried out loudly. "I ask that you hear the truth of my words! War will win you nothing but sadness and pain, both inside your borders and out. Free yourselves from this hatred! From this cycle of pain and vengeance. Do what you must... As I will do. See now that one selfless act has the power to change the world!"

As the Exalt looked to the sky with a sorrowful smile on her face, Robin suddenly understood what was going to happen, as did Chrom. In a panic, the young lord pushed through the ranks and burst out into the open, running with all his might towards the place where his sister stood with a resolved look on her face.

From her perch, Emmryn glanced down at her frantic brother before her eyes flicked to where Lissa stood frozen, both her siblings watching with horror on their faces as everyone around them seemed to fade into the background.

"Chrom…Lissa….and all my people," Emmryn murmured. "Know that I loved you."

With her eyes closed, the Exalt fell from the top of the spire, tumbling to the ground in a blur of green and white as her robes fluttered in the wind. Helplessly everyone watched Emmryn, before turning away to avoid the inevitable end of her fall.

From where she stood with her eyes trained on the ground, Robin clenched her teeth and bit back tears as she heard a wail like she'd never heard before; breaking the eerie silence that had fallen over those gathered, Lissa began to cry and the Shepherds panicked.

"Oh gods…" Robin gasped, as she finally looked up to see Chrom kneeling by Emmryn's body at the foot of the spire. "Oh gods..."

His back rose and fell with disjointed breaths, and even from a distance Robin could tell how violently Chrom was shaking. Pushing through the crowd of those around her, the tactician ignored Gangrel as he began to laugh and made her way to Chrom, placing a hand gently on his back.

"Emm…" Chrom breathed, in a voice that had Robin's heart breaking all over again. "Emm…EMM!"

The tactician jumped back as Chrom stood up quickly, turning furiously to where Gangrel stood laughing. Falchion shook furiously in the young lord's hand as he screamed, "DAMN YOU, GANGREL!"

Still laughing, Gangrel simpered, "How _noble._ And here I thought death to be an ugly thing! So ends Emmryn, the most exalted of all-shall I hang her body and put it on display? Ha ha ha!"

"You die today Gangrel!" Chrom raged, moving forward with Falchion in hand. He'd barely taken a step forward though when he was forcibly wrenched back; holding onto his shoulder, Robin grit her teeth and pulled as hard as she could, keeping Chrom from running off again.

At the edge of the battlefield, Basilio and Flavia appeared, the east khan saying, "Come on boy, we have to go! We've secured an escape route!"

"But her body-I have to-"

"You have to RUN! Robin, don't let him do anything stupid!"

Chrom paused, torn between listening to the khan and the frantic calls of his comrades and between gathering up Emmryn's now broken body. For a second he debated ignoring everyone, when a small voice said, "Please…Chrom, please…"

Looking back, the young lord saw the look on Robin's face; her lips trembled, and her eyes were full of a sorrow that had yet to be fully expressed.

"Please Chrom," Robin insisted in a voice he could barely hear. "Please."

With one last look at Emmryn's body, Chrom clenched his teeth and turned, allowing Robin to pull him away as they fled.


	13. Chapter 12

_~Chapter Twelve: Present Day~_

There was a moment of silence as everyone nearby shifted anxiously, having remembered that day so well.

It had been hard for the Shepherds to watch Chrom's reaction to the event, and even harder for them to deal with it as none of them had really known how to.

Lucina, who had been sitting quite still the entire time, opened her mouth to say something when one of the many palace butlers entered the room and announced, "Princess Lissa and her company have arrived, your Grace."

"Already?" Chrom said, eyebrows raised as he stood up and handed Lucina over to Gaius, who was already reaching out for the little girl. "That was faster than I expected…"

"I was told they made great haste when they received the news from Khan Basilio…"

As the Exalt and his servant walked out of the room, Lucina frowned and looked up at the thief. Shifting on his lap, the toddler asked, "Did you know my Aunt Emmryn?"

"Emmryn? Not really," Gaius admitted. "But I do remember thinking she was an awfully nice lady and that it was pretty devastating to see her sacrifice herself like that for the good of Ylisse."

"She was so noble!" Sumia sighed, Sully and Miriel nodding at this. "Sacrificing herself for her people…your Aunt Emmryn was a wonderful woman."

Lucina nodded, before wondering aloud, "What happened to Father afterwards?"

The adults all paused, not sure of what she meant until Lucina clarified, "How did Father act?"

"He was heartbroken," Frederick was the first to speak up, after a long silence. "He could barely walk in a straight line-your Aunt Lissa wasn't in the best shape either afterwards. Chrom wouldn't speak to anyone after we first left the battlefield."

"But what about Mother?"

"Your mother?" Frederick asked back, frowning in confusion.

Making a face back, Lucina exclaimed, "Didn't my mother cheer him up? I know he loved her a lot, even back then so I'm sure she loved him back too and wanted Father to be happy!"

"Actually there's a bit of a funny story to that," Sully admitted, a smile creeping over the paladin's face as she recalled what had occurred. Catching everyone's eye, the redhead grinned even wider as she saw the recognition dawn in everyone's eyes as they realized what she was thinking of.

"That was definitely funny," Gaius agreed, while Miriel smiled, "A sight like it I have never seen…"

"What?" Lucina wanted to know. "What happened?"

"Your dad wasn't in the greatest shape, right?" Gaius started, grinning as Lucina stared up at him impatiently. "So your mom was trying to comfort him but she couldn't even get him to look at her. After we got back to the palace-"

"We all supported your father," Frederick cut in. "And after we had finished lifting his spirits we had hoped Robin would step in and help lift them even more, as she was the only one who could always make him smile."

Lucina smiled at this news, pleased at the thought that even before her parents had married it was her mother who had taken precedence in her father's mind. Looking around, she waiting for the adults to continue as a few of them laughed softly to themselves and shook their heads.

Picking the story back up, Olivia murmured, "I was watching the whole thing; when Chrom didn't speak to Robin, Gaius and Stahl picked him up by his arms and carried him off. All the women surrounded Robin, and somehow I was pulled along as well…"

"We gave Robin the talk of her life!" Sully recalled, sitting back. "Told her to speak up and grab Chrom's attention, that she needed to fess up and just tell him how she felt already."

"I remember how much she was blushing," Tharja smirked, from where she'd been sitting quietly in the corner. "It was quite a sight to see how pink her cheeks were when she demanded to know where we'd gotten such a notion that she and Chrom were a couple…"

"Of course they were a couple," Gaius cut in. "Everyone else knew it before they did! Why do you think we talked Chrom into confessing to her?"

"You told Father to confess?" Lucina jumped up and down, excited at the thought of it.

"Well how else do you think your father would have gotten the girl?" the thief smirked, causing everyone nearby to laugh.

* * *

><p><em>After a rousing cheer from the group, Chrom felt ready to take on Gangrel once and for all. Turning to Frederick, the young lord began to talk to his right-hand man and plan the next march towards Plegia. So absorbed was Chrom in his plans that he failed to notice Robin, who stood to the side watching him with a somewhat lonesome expression on her face. <em>

_The tactician's look did not go unnoticed; several of the Shepherds glanced at each other, before unanimously deciding what to do. _

_Chrom yelled in surprise as he was hoisted off the ground by Gaius and Stahl, the two carrying him off as he kicked and squirmed in their grasp. As Robin watched with curious eyes, Chrom yelled, "Wha-what are you doing!?" _

"_We're going to have a talk Blue," Gaius insisted, before calling back over his shoulder, "You come too, Tin can."_

"_Tin can!? " Frederick said indignantly, before following after. As they disappeared into the room next door, Robin wondered what was going on for a brief moment, failing to realize that she was surrounded until much too late. While the women began to talk to her, insisting she confess her true feelings, Robin backed off with her hands up in a surrendering position, completely unaware that in the next room over the same thing was happening to Chrom._

_The young lord was beet red, completely flustered and at a loss for words as the men impressed upon him to confess his feelings for the tactician. As they went at length, describing what would be the best method for his confession, Chrom opened his mouth to deny everything when he was cut off by Vaike._

"_Don't know why you're denying it, Chrom," the burly man shrugged. "It's plain as plain to everyone you two want to be together, and heck, we all want you to be together too at this point!" _

"_We're not like that," Chrom protested weakly, although the way he shifted on his feet and the look on his face said otherwise. "We're just…"_

"_Just?" Gaius prodded as Chrom's words faded. "Just what?" _

_The young lord opened his mouth to say more when there was a loud sigh from the back of the group; turning, everyone watched as Frederick shook his head sternly. Walking over to his charge, the knight said seriously, "Milord, even I cannot deny the way you look at Robin. Please…for her sake as well as yours. Consider letting her know." _

"_Wait, you too Frederick!?" _

"_Robin's grown a bit on me," the knight admitted. "And I'd much rather have her marry you than anyone else I know at this point."_

"_You're just saying that because you want Sumia to yourself," Gaius teased, poking at the knight and taking great pleasure when Frederick turned the same color as Chrom. "Anyways, she's probably still out there in the throne room. Go! Get out there and tell her while we all get ready to march!"_

_As everyone flooded out of the room, they pushed Chrom with them, forcing the young lord back into the room where Robin was waiting. After several unsubtle winks, the pair were left by themselves while everyone else headed down to the armory to prepare for battle once more. _

_The young lord and tactician were silent, before Chrom coughed and said, "So, Robin…" _

"_Chrom," she replied back, before stepping closer. He said nothing as Robin walked up to face him, standing a mere few inches away before she looked up into his face. They were silent again, before Robin punched him lightly on the arm. _

"_That was some speech you gave," the tactician said cheerfully, "It really roused the troops into action…."_

_Robin felt the words die on her lips as Chrom watched her, stepping even closer while he did so. As she struggled with something to say that would break the silence, Chrom breathed, "Robin-"_

"_I-I'll be sure to strategize-"_

"_Robin."_

"_Uh…the march won't be that long, right? I bet it'll be loads easier than-"_

"_**Robin."**_

_The tactician finally stopped talking, refusing to meet Chrom's eyes as she avoided his gaze. The way he said her name had shivers of anticipation running down her spine; the low tone in his voice indicated at something she had only recently begun to dream of. _

"_I've been meaning to get something off my chest," Chrom began, willing himself not to blush or avoid her eyes. "We've been friends for awhile now, but even more than that we've grown closer in a way I could have never anticipated. I never expected this to happen, but I'm so glad that it did…Robin, I-"_

"_No! Chrom, we can't!" the tactician cried out, interrupting her friend. "I'm the chief tactician, and you're next in line to be Exalt, and-and-"_

_As she stuttered out excuses, her face frantic, Chrom watched her before something flickered in his eyes. Interrupting her, he asked, "Do you remember that fight on the Northroad? When we first fought with all the Shepherds?" _

_Robin paused, completely confused as to why Chrom was suddenly bringing up a past battle. Tilting her head to the side, she stared up at him with a dumbfounded expression and replied, "Yeah, why? What does that have to do with anything?" _

"_You lost a bet and promised me something. Remember what that was?" _

_Slowly it dawned on Robin; nodding, she recalled, "Yeah…I promised to follow one order without any complaints. That was the bet, right?" _

"_Right. And I haven't used it-so can I use it now?" _

_Hesitantly, Robin looked up into Chrom's face before nodding timidly. Intently, the young lord leaned down, leaning further and further until his nose was barely touching Robin's. As she froze, not knowing what to do, Chrom murmured, "Kiss me." _

"_Wha-"_

"_You promised. Any order, without complaints, right? So kiss me." _

_A pink blush crept across Robin's cheeks, before she finally closed her eyes and leaned in. It was by no means a perfect kiss; their noses bumped before lips met, and when Chrom twined a hand into her hair he was wary of the fact he could possibly rip out a few strands. _

_Yet, for all its imperfections, a better kiss there had never been-it wasn't until Robin broke off, gasping for air that Chrom remembered the situation at hand. Pulling back, his face as red as hers, the young lord cleared his throat before finishing what he'd been trying to say before in a rush. _

"_I love you, Robin. And I want you to think of me as more than just a best friend," Chrom said hurriedly, somewhat afraid to see her reaction to everything that had just happened. To his surprise though, her cheeks turned even more pink before she smiled up at him and said quietly, "Alright. It isn't as if I haven't been thinking that for quite awhile now…" _

"_Wait, you liked me before too?" _

"_B-before?!" Robin blushed even harder, which at this point Chrom hadn't thought possible. "I-I don't know what you're talking about!" _

_As she turned around and ran off, Chrom started before chasing after her, calling, "Hey, hey wait! Robin! Answer me!" _

"_My answer is yes!" she called back after her shoulder, skipping away with a smile on her face as Chrom slowed behind her and came to a stop. _

"_I love you too!"_

* * *

><p>Chrom kissed Lucina on the cheek and ruffled Morgan's hair as the two mobbed him, both of them practically quivering with excitement at the idea that a new development had finally arrived concerning the whereabouts of their mother. As Lissa nodded and moved on to go into the castle and rest up, Chrom stood back and looked at his children with hopeful eyes.<p>

Before either of them could speak, Chrom signaled them to come in, saying, "Let's go to the far side of the castle-I don't think we want Lucina to run into her present self just yet."

"You're right, Father," Lucina agreed, although a smile lingered on her normally stern face as she continued, "I do hope though that if everything is as we predict, the return of mother will not only benefit her but us as well."

"As if I could keep you two from her," Chrom grumbled, but willingly he allowed the two to take his hands and drag him through the castle to where they knew little Lucina wouldn't intrude.

As they walked into the abandoned, messy study, Morgan took a look around and sighed, "Mother's books are all still here…I haven't been here in a very long time."

Looking around, Chrom reflected on the way the study looked; Robin had never been the neatest, but after her disappearance the tactician's study had fallen into complete disarray, the young lord not allowing anyone near to clean it or touch it for fear of them marring her things.

While Chrom walked around the study with a brooding look on his face, Morgan trailed his fingers over some of the more heavily bound books before sighing and turning to look at his sister and father. Setting aside some of the books that had collected dust, the young man said, "I have yet to really look into what the signs may bring, but the odds are that something is going to come of those storms."

Turning to look at his son, Chrom murmured, "I take it you have a good idea of what it is already?"

"Of course," Morgan chirped confidently, sticking his chest out a bit. His eyes glancing over the many books that littered the room, Morgan grinned before continuing, "I'm sure though with Mother's books I'll be able to come to an even more solid conclusion."

From where she stood in the corner of the room, Lucina eyed her father warily before warning, "Let's not be too hasty and jump to the wrong conclusion."

Glancing over at his daughter, Chrom hesitated before nodding. His obvious hesitation was unsettling to both his children; exchanging looks, Lucina and Morgan mentally made an agreement to not say anything more until everything was completely settled. Neither one wanted to get their father's hopes up to the point where it would be devastating if they were wrong.

As Chrom stood nearby, pensively looking over Robin's study, Morgan made a jerking motion with his head at his sister, who understood immediately. With a push, Lucina propelled Chrom out of the room, saying, "If you'll leave us to work then…"

"But Lucina-"

"No buts, Father!" Morgan exclaimed from behind his sister. "We want to do this on our own!"

The doors of the study came to a close, and a click of the lock signaled that Chrom was not getting entry to the study again anytime soon. With a sigh, he turned and began walking back towards his own study, which lay in the center of the castle.

As he walked further and further, he began to think more and more on what possible outcomes the storm could have when there was a sudden squeak and the Exalt felt something run into his knees. Glancing down, he was surprised to see his toddler sitting on the ground in front of him, rubbing her nose.

Looking up, Lucina insisted, "Father, I don't want to go to bed!"

Before the Exalt could answer, there was a loud clanking noise, before Frederick came puffing down the hallway with a frown on his face. When he saw Lucina clinging onto Chrom's cape, the knight stopped quickly, bowing low before straightening up and giving Lucina a scolding look.

"Princess," Frederick said with a sigh. "Please, it's time for you to go to bed…"

With a little pout, Lucina dug her toe into the ground and muttered, "But I don't want to…I want to hear more of the story…"

"More?" Chrom asked, picking her up and hoisting her into his arms. "You've heard so much today, and you're still not tired?"

"I can't be tired when it's about Mother!" Lucina insisted, before wrapping her arms around Chrom's neck. "Please, Father?"

Dismissing Frederick with a nod, Chrom laughed, "You do beat all. Alright, I'll carry you back to your room but once we're there no more of the story for tonight, promise?"

"I promise Father!"

"Very well," Chrom smiled, turning and beginning to walk down the hall. "We were to face the mad king in a final battle…"

* * *

><p><strong>Lol omg school why XD That is all I have to say on the subject of classes beginning again :P <strong>

**I know in the game Chrom never really actually comes out and confesses until he's ready for marriage, but I'd like to think that with all that he and Robin had obvious romantic feelings for each other before that. I mean, you don't usually just decide you see someone romantically, it's kind of a built up process XD**

**Anyways, I want to thank everyone for the reads and reviews I've received, as it's always nice to check up on a story and see that people are actually looking at it :) I will take into consideration certain things pertaining to the storm, but to keep it from being spoiled I won't say exactly what's going to happen :P Either way, I'll be trying to update when I can between classes and homework, but please don't be too mad if my updates aren't too frequent!**

**I hope to see you all on the next update :) **


	14. Chapter 13

_~Chapter Thirteen: Days Past~_

Chrom drew a ragged breath as he retreated for a moment's rest into the midst of the group; the Shepherds had all but hacked their way across the borderlands, defeating any who still chose to oppose them. It had been surprising for everyone once they realized that many of the soldiers fighting for Gangrel were giving up-already several had thrown down their arms only to either desert the borderlands entirely.

As he surveyed everyone, he heard a loud shout and turned to look to his left. His blue eyes took in the sight of Robin blasting her way through a group of mages, Libra following up with an axe behind her. Noticing Chrom staring over at the tactician, Frederick bumped the young lord on the shoulder to grab his attention.

"Milord, it's our turn again soon."

"Of course," Chrom said, tearing his gaze away from Robin to look at his ever-faithful knight. "Robin said that Gangrel's bound to jump the gun and come to us after all-and I'll be ready when he does."

The young lord tightened his grip on Falchion, already mentally preparing himself for the inevitable battle against the mad king; ever since the group had stepped onto the field, Gangrel had done nothing but spit threats at them, raging and swearing he'd kill every last one of them and get the fire emblem if it was the last thing he'd do.

Glancing down at Chrom's hand, Frederick murmured, "Patience, Milord."

"It's so hard to be patient with that monster," Chrom growled, readying himself to say more when a shout caught his attention.

Quickly turning his head, the young lord's eyes widened as he took in a nightmare-like situation; Gangrel stood in front of Robin, his cloak flapping behind him in the wind as he cackled insanely and raised a Levin sword to the sky.

The tactician glared, but even at a distance Chrom could see there was a mixture of surprise and terror in her eyes. Cursing under his breath, Chrom muttered obscenities as he remembered that Robin hadn't brought any tomes along with her.

"Not so cocky now, are we?" the mad king leered, waving his sword threateningly at Robin as she backed up next to Libra. "We'll see how your pathetic army fares once I cut you out of the picture!"

A bolt of lightning flashed instantaneously; Libra grunted as he was hit, stumbling backwards as his body shook with tremors from the attack. Grabbing onto his arm, Robin shouted, "Libra, hold on! I've got you!"

The tactician began to pull the priest backwards, half dragging the poor man while grumbling under her breath, a panicked look on her face; it was obvious that she hadn't anticipated on Gangrel attacking anyone else but Chrom.

As Chrom watched anxiously, he saw Gangrel raise his sword again to the sky. Quickly Robin pushed Libra away, sparing him from another blow; unfortunately she was not as lucky, and with a loud gasp of pain she clutched at her right arm, the sword in her hand slipping as she fumbled to keep it in her grip.

"Where's your precious princeling now?" Gangrel smirked, stepping even closer to the tactician as he completely ignored Libra, kicking him to the side. With a defiant look on her face, Robin steadied herself and glared at the mad king as if daring him to come within swinging range.

As he came even closer to Robin, Chrom's vision seemed to turn red-before he knew it, the young lord had left Frederick behind, breaking formation once more as he ran towards Robin. He managed to reach her just in time; as Gangrel raised his sword once more, Chrom barreled into him.

Tripping backwards, the mad king cursed as he nearly fell over backwards, while Chrom hurried to Robin's side. Supporting her easily, he put an arm around her waist and straightened her up, fussing over her before Gangrel could attack again.

With a small chuckle, Robin muttered, "Is this becoming a habit of yours? Breaking my pretty formations and doing whatever you please?"

"Shush," Chrom grumbled, tearing off his cape and wrapping her bleeding arm with it. "He was supposed to fight me, not you. This is just an adaption."

"Right," Robin grinned wryly as she flexed and stood up straight. "An adaption. Shall we then?"

Breaking off of his fussing, Chrom glanced up to see her eyes looking into his earnestly. In a silent understanding, the young lord straightened up as well and drew Falchion, before turning to the mad king.

"Gangrel!" Chrom yelled, catching the trickster's attention. "My sister only wished for us to know peace…would you not seek that now, and forgo this war you've started?"

"Peace?" Gangrel spat back, glaring as Chrom and Robin shifted into fighting stances. "What would you and your people know of peace? No, what I seek now is much better than that-something that no one else deserves but me!"

"I see that there is no reasoning with you," the young lord said quietly, his voice falling as his expression grew hard. "So be it."

It was all over within a second; stepping forward Chrom made a quick slash at the king and caught him off-guard, before Robin ducked under and around to deliver a final stab. As the tactician retreated to her place beside Chrom, Gangrel sank to his knees in defeat.

Groaning, the mad king gasped out, "You…fools….all of you…"

Drawing his final breath, the mad king fell; a resounding thud echoed around him, signaling that the war was finally, finally over.

* * *

><p>"How's Libra?"<p>

Turning from where she'd been watching the others on the field, Robin saw Chrom standing behind her with a serious look on his face.

With a little smile, Robin tucked a strand of hair behind her ear before answering, "He's fine; Lissa's really got a way with that staff of hers you know."

"Yeah."

The two took deep breaths, before exchanging grins. After Gangrel had fallen the rest of his army had given little to no resistance-many had laid down their arms, and the few that had resisted were easily taken care of when they had insisted on continuing the fight.

As everyone around them celebrated, glad the war was over, Chrom turned to look over the battlefield once more. After a moment of silence, Robin joined him, the two of them standing side by side quietly as they surveyed the land in front of them. So busy were they watching that they failed to notice everyone exchanging looks, before the rest of the group slinked off and left them alone.

With only a slight breeze whistling through the grass, the two stood without saying anything until Chrom took a deep breath.

"Robin?"

"Mmmm?"

"I…I owe you an apology."

Startled, the tactician looked over at her friend to see him frowning at the ground. Wondering what he'd meant by that, she opened her mouth to ask when Chrom continued, "I dragged you into something awful-a war that was never yours to begin with. I'm sorry for that."

"You didn't drag me," Robin pointed out, sidling even closer so that she could elbow Chrom lightly. "I'm the one who shoved my way into your army."

"Still. All I've been thinking about is stopping Gangrel at all costs. Even my own life wasn't too high a price to pay."

Chrom watched as Robin scrunched her nose, a frown on her face as she muttered, "Too high a price indeed-it would have been devastatingly costly, for everyone…especially me."

"Well...in that same manner, I guess I found out that despite my determination I wasn't willing to give you up-even if it meant stopping Gangrel."

"O-oh?" Feigning disinterest, Robin tried desperately to push down the blush she felt threatening to make its way across her face. She had hoped that their brief romance would not be forgotten; before everything the two had grown close in so many ways, although after his confession neither one had said much to each other on the subject. "I didn't think you would have let me die anyways, but I guess it's nice to know that."

"Let you die? Never!" Chrom burst out adamantly, before sobering a bit and continuing, "I never…I never want to let you go. Does that make me selfish?"

Robin laughed a little, avoiding Chrom's gaze as she replied, "If you're selfish than I am too. I share your sentiments after all…that is, I'd rather not leave you at this point. I've grown quite fond of you, you know."

"Just…fond?" As he spoke in halted tones, Chrom took a step closer, winding an arm around Robin's waist as he did so. "I was hoping you meant what you said before the battle."

"Of course I meant it," Robin fumbled with her words nervously, trying hard not to stammer as she felt Chrom moving in for a kiss. "I meant every word."

"Good."

Slowly, delicately, he cupped her cheeks in his hands and kissed her; savoring the way she felt, he pressed her as close as possible, wanting nothing more than to remain in the moment for as long as possible. As their lips brushed and their breathing aligned, everything suddenly seemed to make sense.

Pulling back to catch his breath, Chrom caught one of the tactician's hands and kissed it gently before murmuring, "I meant every word too."

His words brought a smile to Robin's face; lighting up entirely, the tactician seemed to glow in a way that had Chrom breathless all over again, the young lord wondering why it had taken him so long to realize how much she meant to him.

Squeezing her hand, Chrom took a deep breath before saying, "We may have met under unusual circumstances, but the bond between us has been like nothing I've ever experienced before. You're my best friend, my confidant, and the person I've come to trust the most…the person I've come to love."

Quietly, Robin watched as Chrom paused, her heart threatening to pound right through her chest as she waited for him to continue with baited breath.

Picking back up again, Chrom said softly, "My sister always followed her heart-and now I'll follow mine. Well…What I mean to ask you is…what I want to say is…will you marry me?"

Blushing furiously, the young lord bit his lip as he waited for Robin's reply. A blush painting her face as well, the tactician smiled before squeezing his hand and replying gently, "Yes."

There was a moment's hesitation, before Chrom laughed out loud with relief. Without a second thought his hands went to Robin's waist, and the tactician found herself hoisted into the air as the young lord exclaimed, "You've made me the happiest man alive with one word!"

"Ch-Chrom!" Robin laughed, "Put me down!"

Setting the tactician on her feet, Chrom kissed her on the forehead and said, "I'll need you to be patient in the near future…I've got scars to heal and a kingdom to lead before we can begin our life together."

With a grin Robin twined her arms around his neck, leaning back and allowing him to hold onto her waist as she reminded him, "That's just fine. I'm a tactician, remember? We'll figure this out together."

"Thank you," he pressed another kiss onto her cheek, before giving her one on the neck.

Giggling, Robin fended him off before reflecting, "Strange isn't it, how fate brought us together?"

"Call me crazy, but I was pretty sure it was some sort of fate from the beginning," Chrom admitted, pulling back a bit to look at Robin.

"Crazy."

"Ha, thanks." Chrom smiled as Robin poked one of his cheeks, watching her with fond eyes as she laughed again and grinned at him. Kissing her on the nose lightly, he leaned his forehead against hers and closed his eyes for a moment, feeling like nothing could ruin how happy he was at that moment.

In a low voice, he said, "I love you, Robin, and I'll do anything to keep you safe and happy."

"I love you too," she replied easily, her own eyes closed as well. "Let's find happiness together, okay?"

"Together," Chrom agreed, kissing her once more on the forehead. "From now on, and forever-together."


	15. Chapter 14

_~Chapter Fourteen: Present Day~_

Lucina slept, blissfully unaware of the way her father was staring out the window with a pained look on his face. Having been so wrapped up in telling the story, Chrom had failed to realize that the reality he was living in now was not the one of the past; when he'd finished speaking and looked up, Robin was gone, only to be replaced with the sight of his daughter fast asleep.

Gripping the sheets tightly in his hand, Chrom grit his teeth and resisted the urge to let sadness creep over him. Marrying Robin had caused Chrom to realize many things; one among many was the realization that it never felt right to have anyone else at his side but her.

Now, with only the empty space next to him that seemed to haunt his every movement, Chrom felt the desire to know the outcome of the storm as much as possible.

As irrational as it was, the Exalt felt as though this was his last chance to ever find her-if the clouds were to bring anything else, the devastating weight of it would crush any remaining hopes he had.

Quietly, so as not to disturb Lucina, Chrom rose from the bed and left the room, walking aimlessly in an attempt to burn off some nervous energy. For a while he had wondered if Morgan and future Lucina would let him join them in their search for an answer, but the siblings had insisted he stay completely away from their side of the palace-both had told him it would be better off for everyone if they found the answer on their own.

As he paced down the hallway anxiously, he unconsciously began to head towards the wing where the study was before he felt himself stopping. With a shake of his head, the Exalt muttered, "I've got to keep calm."

Before he could say anything more, there was a slight noise behind him, before Frederick coughed, "Sir?"

Without turning around, Chrom replied, "Yes, Frederick?"

"Perhaps you should get some rest. It'll be awhile before Lucina and Morgan get results, or so I've been told."

"…right. Rest."

Frederick watched the Exalt walk off, before shaking his head and making a silent prayer that the results of the study would come soon. As Chrom made his way to the bedroom, he sighed quietly before pushing open the gilded doors. In the midst of an ornate room was a large bed, an inviting aura there. Slowly Chrom sat down on the mattress, before fully sinking down into the sheets and closing his eyes.

* * *

><p><em>It was with horror that he watched her; more like a phantom than a real being, Grima stood with an inviting leer on her face far from the group, one pale finger stretched out sinuously as she beckoned Robin to come near. <em>

_With her teeth gritted, Robin crouched into fighting position with her eyes trained on her other self. The obvious tension on her face had Chrom wary, and without thinking he reached out and grabbed her hand._

_Momentarily distracted, Robin looked at Chrom with wide eyes before asking, "What? What's wrong?" _

_Looking at her, Chrom said nothing before taking a deep breath and closing his hand even tighter around hers. In a voice so low she could barely hear it over the noise, the young lord murmured, "Promise me. Promise me you won't die."_

_His eyes sought hers, practically begging her to agree; Naga's warning had hit Robin hard, and Chrom knew that more than anything his wife wanted to keep everyone safe and sound from Grima. _

_There was a small pause, before Robin closed her mouth into a thin line and nodded. Squeezing his hand back, the tactician murmured, "I promise I won't die…and I won't let you die either." _

_Not giving him a chance to reply, she leaned forward and kissed him, before breaking free of his grasp and running towards the head of the group herself. Raising her sword, she nodded at everyone before yelling, "Let's go everyone!"_

_With a rousing cry back everyone shook their weapons to the sky before seeking out their partners; with practiced ease wives met husbands and cut through the ranks of Grima's oncoming soldiers. From where he stood alone fighting through to Grima, Chrom looked at Robin; to his surprise, he saw her ducking through the enemies, twirling out of harm's way with her eyes focused intently on Grima. _

_It suddenly dawned on him-whether she'd made a promise or not, Robin had already made up her mind as to what she was going to do. _

_Dashing forward, Chrom yelled, "Robin, no!" _

_His cry fell upon deaf ears; without looking back she dodged another enemy, easily making her way to confront Grima despite the battle just beginning. Pushing past his army and slashing at enemies, Chrom panted as he fought ferociously in the hopes of reaching his wife in time. _

_He hadn't counted on her using evasive maneuvers to get around the fight; he had expected her to nimbly make her way to his side as she always did while he bulled through on his strength. It was obvious that she had relied on him counting on their usual pattern of fighting to plan what she was doing now. _

_Muttering obscenities under his breath, Chrom slashed through more and more Risen, ignoring the confused yells of the Shepherds around him until he paused, frozen with horror-Robin stood directly in front of Grima, her sword gleaming as she stared down the fell dragon. _

_All the young lord could see of her was her back, but by the way Grima's lips were moving it was clear that the two were talking. As another wave of Risen approached him, Chrom steadied his sword and crouched, fighting through the group as he yelled, "Don't you dare! Don't even think about it, Robin!" _

_Each enemy seemed stronger and stronger, but with determination the young lord managed to fend them all off. Just as his strength began to fail him, he burst through the last of the Risen in time to see Robin raise her sword. _

"_NO!" he cried, reaching out towards his wife, oblivious to his surroundings. "ROBIN, NO!" _

_Time seemed to slow as Robin's sword plunged through Grima's chest; as the fell dragon roared the ground shook, taking Chrom's feet out from under him. Falling to the ground, the young lord watched helplessly as Grima stumbled backwards, clutching feebly at the sword that now impaled her._

_The fell dragon began to dissolve, Robin watching with an unreadable look on her face as Grima finally disappeared from the world. As the last of Grima vanished, Chrom watched his wife turn to look at him; raising her already fading hand, she smiled sadly._

"_Robin….Robin…" Chrom gasped out, reaching towards her with a pained look on his face. "Please don't leave…you promised…" _

_The young lord watched the corner of her mouth lift, before she spoke softly; though he could not hear her, her words seemed perfectly clear as she said, "I'll never be dead so long as you remember me. Take care of Lucina for me." _

"_I can't do it without you," Chrom's voice broke as he struggled to his knees. "Robin, I'm not strong enough for that…" _

_Nodding, she mouthed, "Yes, you can. You're the strongest person I know-and I've always relied on that. I've got to go now, but I'll be back someday, alright?" _

"_Please, please don't go!" _

_Closing her eyes as the rest of her body faded, Robin smiled one last time; struck by how beautiful she looked, Chrom watched as she locked eyes with him and whispered, "I love you."_

_Turning around, the tactician turned her back to the young lord as she vanished, leaving Chrom and the others in what she now knew to be a safe world._

* * *

><p>"Father! Father!"<p>

With a gasp Chrom sat up in bed; his four-year-old sat on his chest, staring down at him with a worried look on her face as Frederick and Lissa looked on with concern. Grabbing at his pounding heart, the Exalt tried desperately to keep his wits about him as he asked, "Wha-what are you doing here?"

"You were screaming…" Lissa said quietly, sorrow on her face as she watched her brother.

"Screaming?"

"It's noon already, Milord," Frederick replied. "We thought to let you sleep in since you were so tired last night, but when we heard the noise we all came running."

Straightening up, Chrom coughed before patting Lucina on the head. With a curious look on her face, Lucina asked, "Father? Are you alright?"

"Yes," Chrom reassured her. "I'm fine."

"Were you having a nightmare?"

Chrom froze, before looking down at his daughter. Without blinking, Lucina repeated, "Were you having a nightmare, Father?"

There was an awkward pause for a moment, before Chrom smoothed Lucina's hair back and kissed her forehead. Hugging her close, he said quietly, "Yes. Just a nightmare."

Snuggling into his chest, Lucina wrapped her arms around her father's torso before pulling back and announcing, "Frederick said he has something important to tell you."

Hearing this, Chrom looked up and met Frederick's eyes before a knowing look passed between the two. With a smile, the Exalt rose from his mattress and handed his daughter to Lissa before nodding at the two of them. Patting his daughter on the head, Chrom turned on his heel and swiftly walked towards Robin's study, with Frederick quick on his heels.

As he burst into the study, he interrupted a conversation between Morgan and Lucina; the two siblings looked up to see their father standing in the doorway, panting wildly as he tried to catch his breath.

"Did you run here?" Morgan wondered aloud.

Ignoring the question, Chrom asked, "You found something?"

Rather than the smiles he was expecting, both his children frowned and stared down at the books that lay in disarray everywhere. Silence seemed to ring loudly in the room, before Lucina cleared her throat and straightened up.

"Father," she started, "Don't get your hopes up but…"

"Yes?"

There was more silence, before Lucina continued, "There are recordings of instances like this happening before-rising temperatures in normally frigid areas, storm clouds that gather in a recurring area. Originally most thought they were harbingers of doom-"

"But they've been proved otherwise," Morgan interrupted. Standing up and walking around the desk, the young man continued, "Histories tell us that both good and bad things can come from storms like the one Libra talked about. After researching all I could, Lucina and I talked about what we found and came to the conclusion that either the storm will bring Mother back, or will bring catastrophe, although in what form we don't know. It could expand to be a storm that destroys the nearby areas, or it could bring Risen."

Sinking onto a nearby stack of books, Chrom took this news in before asking quietly, "It could be Robin though…right?"

The siblings exchanged looks before saying uncertainly, "Right. But it's just a possibility-one of many."

Standing up, the Exalt gave both his children a look that startled them; hope flickered in Chrom's eyes, and the biggest smile they'd seen in years made its way across his face. In the most serious voice they'd heard from him, Chrom told them, "A possibility is all I need. I'm going to Southtown."

* * *

><p>All throughout dinner the Exalt remained silent, a smile on his face as he kept his thoughts to himself. While Lucina chattered at the table while eating her food, the Shepherds looked over her head with hope in their eyes, each one of them knowing that Chrom had received some sort of good news regarding the storm near Southtown.<p>

So busy was everyone looking at each other that they failed to notice that Lucina had fallen silent; when they did notice, the toddler was staring her father down from across the table, a look of concern on her features.

Calling down to him, Lucina asked, "Father, are you going away again?"

Startled out of his thoughts, Chrom shook his head before replying, "I'm afraid so. I know I've been coming and going more than usual, Lucina, but I have no choice."

Rather than pouting, as the Shepherds had all expected her to at the news her father was leaving yet again, Lucina asked, "Will you tell me more of the story then? Before you leave?"

Swiveling their heads back to Chrom, everyone watched the Exalt grin before he said, "Of course. Where was I?"

"You and Mother were going to get married," Lucina reminded him.

"The wedding was glorious!" Lissa said, breaking into the conversation between her niece and brother. "We danced and sang and had fun for days-"

"So much sugar," Gaius drooled at the memory, while Sumia giggled, "And the Pegasus knights gave that show, didn't they? I'm glad I didn't fall off my ride…"

"You danced a lot, didn't you dear?" Henry asked Olivia, placing his hand over hers as he grinned. "You made a whole routine up just for them, didn't you?"

"I did," Olivia recalled, joining in the growing chatter.

As the adults clamored at the table, all talking about the royal wedding, Lucina pushed out her chair and ran up to her father, jumping onto his lap. Ignoring everyone else, the two grinned at each other before the little girl asked, "Mother?"

"Your mother was beautiful," Chrom nodded.

"And me?"

"We had you about two years after the battle with the mad king and the wedding. Your mother was so happy when we had you that she cried."

Lucina blushed at this, pleased with the news that her mother had been happy to have her. Tugging on her father's cloak, she asked, "Continue the story, please!"

"Alright, alright," Chrom laughed. Oblivious to Chrom and Lucina, the others continued talking while Chrom began, "Peace was nice, but unfortunately it didn't last as long as we wanted it to…"

* * *

><p><strong>I thought I'd get in another update while I had the chance, between school papers and all :) <strong>

**Seriously. Robin and Chrom are the cutest thing ever. Period. **

**Thanks all for the reads and reviews (sorry for the previous, short chapter) and I hope to see you all on the next update! You guys are always an inspiration! **


	16. Chapter 15

_~Chapter Fifteen: Days Past~_

Chrom frowned as he listened to the messenger in front of him. The young lord remained silent until the messenger was done speaking, before he rose to his feet and waved the man away. Turning to the window of his study, Chrom waited until Frederick had re-entered the study to speak.

"Frederick," the young lord asked the knight. "Will you go gather the Shepherds for me? We're going to meet in the Great Hall in twenty minutes."

With a bow, Frederick set off and Chrom sighed before turning to leave his study. As he walked down the hallway towards the nursery, his thoughts turned to the news that the messenger had brought; word of an invasion had the young lord tense, already wary of the battles that were surely to come.

Arriving at the door to the nursery, Chrom took a deep breath to steady his growing anxiety before pushing open the doors. A pretty sight greeted him; Robin sat on the windowsill of the nursery, her hair loose about her shoulders as she stared out the window. In her arms was a bundle of blankets, snuggled amidst them their newborn daughter, Lucina.

As Chrom watched, Robin brought Lucina up to give her a light kiss on the forehead before humming lightly, the soft melody of the lullaby just loud enough that the young lord could hear it from where he stood.

Quietly, he cleared his throat to grab his wife's attention; turning to face him, Robin's eyes widened in surprise, before she smiled at him and shifted. Moving slowly, so as to not wake up Lucina, she made her way across the room and leaned up to kiss Chrom on the cheek before pulling back and looking up at him curiously.

"Something wrong?" she asked, watching his face carefully. "Normally you're in the study about now…I thought I'd come by after I put Lucina down for her nap."

"Nothing's exactly wrong…we're just going to have to meet everyone in the great hall, okay?" Chrom stretched his words out, hoping to avoid worrying Robin. In the days since the war and their marriage, the tactician had grown to be even dearer in the young lord's eyes, and while he knew her to be strong willed and not easily shaken or disturbed, he wished to protect her nonetheless.

Robin bit her lip; she'd seen through his words, knowing full well that when Chrom avoided telling her something he took his sweet time hiding it from her. Nodding, she turned and walked swiftly to the crib before setting Lucina down lightly and returning to Chrom's side.

Grabbing her husband's hand, the tactician said, "Let's go then, Chrom."

* * *

><p>"The Valmese are preparing to conquer Regna Ferox…if not all of Ylisse," Chrom announced, his eyes watching the Shepherds as he finished giving them the message that the Feroxi messenger had brought. As everyone began to mutter to themselves, worried looks on their faces, Lissa and Frederick approached Chrom and Robin.<p>

Coming up closer, Lissa cried, "Chrom, you can't mean it! A war? We only just finished a few years ago…"

"I know," he muttered. "But we've no choice anymore. We have to go help the Feroxi, especially since they helped us. I know Flavia and Basilio want us there as soon as possible-besides, we can't have the Valmese taking over, can we?"

"What about Lucina and Robin?" Lissa pointed out, her hands on her hips. "You're not just going to leave your newborn and wife, are you?"

Moving closer to Chrom, Robin interrupted; putting a hand on her husband's shoulder, the tactician said firmly, "Leave me behind? I don't think so."

Surprise in his eyes, Chrom turned to look at his wife before exclaiming, "You can't mean to leave Lucina alone! She needs her mother, and-"

"And her father," Robin stopped Chrom, frowning up at him. "And who better to keep you out of trouble than me?"

"But Lucina-"

"The nursemaid will take care of her until we return. I wish I could take care of her myself, but more than anything you need me by your side. Besides, who else is going to make up strategies? Certainly not Frederick," Robin grinned over at the knight, getting a scowl back.

When Chrom still hesitated, doubt written on his face, both Frederick and Lissa exchanged looks before sighing. At their sighs, Chrom looked up to see them shaking their heads at him, before Lissa reflected, "You've changed Chrom-just think, two years ago you were reckless and ready to charge into battle and now you're a husband and father!"

"Milord," Frederick said, taking over from Lissa. "Robin is much stronger than you give her credit for-and she's right. We'll need a tactician."

Chrom found himself being stared down by the three of them; finally, with a reluctant sigh, he put an arm around Robin and muttered, "Alright, let's get going then. To Regna Ferox!"

* * *

><p>"Fliers, keep out of range of any archers you see," Robin ordered, standing at the head of the group as her eyes fell on Cherche, the wyrven rider being the newest addition to the group. "Everyone stick close with your partners and remember to stay in your groups-anyone who strays could end up getting seriously hurt."<p>

As Robin gave orders and the Shepherds shifted into place, Chrom leaned over to Gaius and reflected, "It's like she's gotten better even though we've all been out of practice…"

"Who, Bubbles?" Gaius asked, raising an eyebrow as he stretched in a warm-up for the battle. "Nah, she reads way too much to ever be out of practice. I've even seen her reading while she rocked Lucina to sleep-that's dedication if you ask me."

"She does read a lot," Chrom agreed, wrapping a hand around Falchion and flexing in anticipation of what was to come. "I'm just glad she still makes time for me even with all that."

To Chrom's surprise, Gaius chuckled before leaning back on his heels and giving Chrom a look that immediately had him wanting to blush. Looking away, Chrom blurted out, "What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"She makes time for you, huh?" Gaius said after a long pause, smirking as Chrom began to turn redder and redder. "Time for what, exactly?"

"Oh look, it's time to go," Chrom said hastily, ignoring the thief's snickering. Ducking low the young lord dashed forward, propelling himself into battle and nearly leaving his partner in the dust.

While Gaius called out after him, Chrom slashed through a new wave of enemies, before hearing a yell. Turning to look, the young lord watched Robin duck under an enemy's attack before turning to deliver a well-time blow to her attacker. As he watched her effectively cutting through the crowd with her partner, he couldn't help but smile; he had been unreasonable in thinking to leave her behind, when she was perfectly capable of taking care of herself.

As Chrom and Gaius turned their backs to each other and began to fight towards the ship, the young lord grit his teeth-looking at the many Valmese that were waiting aboard the ship, he couldn't help but wonder how many more were waiting back in Valm to invade Ylisse. The thought was frightening enough that he hesitated for just a moment, before plunging back into battle.

When the last of the enemy soldiers fell, there was a triumphant cry. While the Shepherds all turned to one another to congratulate themselves on a crisis averted, Chrom caught eyes with Robin from across the group. Exchanging knowing looks, the two of them nodded before weaving their way through the crowd to each other's side.

Grabbing her hand as she approached, Chrom asked, "It's not over, is it?"

"No," Robin frowned, shaking her head. "It's only begun."

* * *

><p>"I refuse."<p>

"But Chrom-"

"No buts, Flavia! That nation has been nothing but trouble for us, how can we expect help from them now, even with the threat of an invasion?"

Slamming her hand down on the table, the West Khan growled, "Have some sense, boy! Surely even they will be able to tell that an invasion will mean no good for anyone in the Halidom!"

With a grunt, Chrom sat back in his chair, while Robin watched him with wary eyes. The West Khan, East Khan, and tactician had all been trying to persuade Chrom to go to Plegia and ask their new ruler for ships to get to Valm; unfortunately, none of them had been persuasive enough. Although the war with Plegia had been two years ago, the wounds from it were still fresh enough that Chrom was still loathe to ask for their help.

Exchanging looks with the khans, Robin signaled them with a jerk of her head to leave the room. As soon as the two left, shutting the doors behind them, Robin walked over to her husband's side and put her hands on his shoulders.

As she began to methodically rub his shoulders and work out the knots there, Chrom groaned softly before leaning back against her touch. The two were silent, until he muttered, "This new king of theirs…how do we know if he's trustworthy or not?"

"You'll never know if we don't go and find out," Robin chided her husband gently, before leaning down and nipping the tip of his ear lightly. As Chrom turned bright red and began making flustered noises, the tactician giggled before telling him seriously, "We really need to keep everyone safe, Chrom. If going to Plegia to ask for help is the only way to do it…I don't see why we can't, just this once."

Grumbling, Chrom crossed his arms; while he knew that Robin was right, he hated the very idea of going to Plegia. Childish as it was, he still wished to avoid the land where he'd seen Emmryn killed, and had nearly lost Robin to Gangrel.

From where she stood behind Chrom's chair, Robin sighed before walking around to the front of his chair. Leaning down to rest her forehead against his, the tactician closed her eyes and murmured, "Please, Chrom. We have to keep Lucina safe at all costs."

Pulling back, the tactician watched a gentle look come over her husband's face, before Chrom sighed and nodded. Putting a hand on her cheek, the young lord gave her a fond smile and kissed her on the forehead. As he ran his thumb lightly across her cheek, Chrom bit his lip before saying, "Alright. Let's go."

* * *

><p>There was a low murmur throughout the army as everyone marched as fast as they could, hoping to leave Plegia as soon as possible. While everyone else talked in hushed whispers ,Chrom glanced with a worried look towards the back of the group; Robin trudged along in silence, a shell-shocked look on her face.<p>

Biting his lip, Chrom turned back to look at the head of the group, willing himself not to say anything no matter how much he wished to. Upon meeting Validar, an assassin-turned-king, the Sheperds had encountered a person who looked entirely too much like Robin. In fact, the tactician and Validar's assistant were identical down to the light spattering of freckles on Robin's nose.

Chrom was so busy worrying about what was going on that when Lissa cleared her throat loudly he completely missed it. Signaling Lon'qu, who was nearby, Lissa jerked her head at her brother. Understanding immediately, the swordmaster watched in silence as the healer snuck up behind her brother and jumped onto his back.

"Hyah!"

"AGH! Lissa!?"

As Chrom panted, catching his breath from the surprise, Lissa frowned before scolding her brother. With a shake of her finger, the healer grumbled, "Stop worrying and just go talk to her already!"

"What?"

"You know what, don't give me that!" Rolling her eyes, Lissa pointed at Robin and hissed, "GO. Now. Chrom, please go talk to her-everyone else is worried about how she's taking this weird twin thing too, but you're the only one who knows how to make her feel better about it."

For a minute Chrom hesitated, before slowly falling to the back of the group until he was in step with his wife. The two were quiet, before Chrom looked up and noticed that the entire group was looking back at them with eager eyes. Glaring, the young lord gave them a look that had them quickly turning to face the front, before he looked back at Robin.

Completely oblivious to everything, the tactician stared at her feet, marching stoically. Gently, the young lord reached out and pulled on her ponytail to catch her attention; jerking out of her trance, Robin blinked only to see Chom giving her a teasing smile.

"Don't make that face," he said, elbowing her casually. "I hate it when you mope."

"I'm not moping," Robin protested. "I'm just-"

"Worried? Me too. I didn't think Validar was the type to be so jealous of my wife that he felt the need to make a carbon copy of her."

Smiling a little, Robin chided her husband, saying, "You know that's not what's worrying me! Also, why would he be jealous?"

With a shrug, Chrom began to turn pink as he replied in a mutter, "I don't know. You're smart, you're pretty, you're a good fighter…what's not to be jealous of?"

"Chrom," Robin giggled, falling back to her old self as she jostled the young lord. "Seriously, this is a problem."

Smiling back, Chrom took her hand and pulled her to a stop. Smoothing her hair back, he told her, "I know. But it's a problem we'll worry about together, okay?"

Robin leaned into Chrom's hand, before kissing his palm lightly and replying, "Mmmm."

Chrom smiled even wider, and opened his mouth to say more when the two were interrupted by a cry from a scout at the front of the group.

"RISEN!"

As everyone flew to grab their weapons, Chrom squeezed Robin's hand and said, "Together, right?"

"Always," Robin promised, before the two let go to prepare for battle.


	17. Chapter 16

_~Chapter Sixteen: Present Day~_

It was early morning when Chrom set out; accompanied by only Lissa and Frederick, the Exalt walked with purpose in his stride towards Southtown. At the insistence of Lucina and Morgan, Chrom had agreed to take only those who had been with him when he'd first met Robin; the siblings had hoped that by recreating the circumstances their parents had met in that the two would meet again.

As the group of three walked towards Southtown, Chrom watched the sunrise in silence, reflecting on what his children had last told him upon leaving. After repeating once more that there was a chance it might not be Robin, Morgan and Lucina had decided to go back to Rega Ferox, saying their good-byes and letting their father know that if he did find their mother to send news right away.

Once Chrom had said good-bye to his older children, he'd walked down the hall only to see little Lucina standing by a nearby window in the hallway. Before he could question why she was in a part of the castle she'd never been before, the little girl had run up to her father and wrapped her arms around his legs, holding on as tightly as she could.

He had finally managed to pry her off, when Lucina had finally said, "I came to find you before you left, Father."

"Lucina…"

Chrom watched as his toddler smiled up at him, before saying, "Tell me more about Mother when you come back, okay?"

Thinking back on it, Chrom couldn't help but shake his head at the irony of his daughter's statement; he hoped to bring much more than just a story back for his little one. Lissa, glancing over, saw the smile on her brother's face.

With a giggle, she moved closer to bump her brother lightly as she said, "You ready to bring Robin back?"

"Am I ever," the Exalt agreed, before he frowned lightly. "Of course, I should probably keep in mind what Lucina and Morgan said."

Seeing the frown on the Exalt's face, Frederick hurriedly said, "Milord, despite their good intentions I think it's for the best to be hopeful rather than to expect the worst."

"But what if-"

"No buts!" Lissa exclaimed, joining in agreement with Frederick. "We've all been hoping for years for something like this to happen-to not let us continue to hope would be cruel!"

Falling silent, Chrom glanced down at Falchion, before murmuring, "Cruel indeed…either way, let us continue to hope for the better, right?"

"Of course," Lissa giggled. "As Robin would always say, 'you don't know until you try!'"

"She did say that an awful lot," Frederick agreed, before making a sour face. "Especially during the training session we had with all that bear meat."

While Frederick shuddered at the memory and Lissa giggled again, Chrom couldn't help but laugh, "That's right! She's always been optimistic, but that really took the cake, seeing her chase you around camp trying to convince you to continue her program!"

* * *

><p><em>Chrom was sitting quietly in his tent enjoying a quick rest when a yell shook the camp. Bolting to his feet, the young lord grabbed at his sword, thinking Risen were attacking; having been remained behind with only Frederick and Robin to protect the camp, Chrom hoped there weren't too many enemies for the three of them to handle. <em>

_As he burst out of his tent, he heard the yell again—the sound of Robin's voice yelling Frederick's name echoed around the empty camp, and before Chrom knew it she had dashed around the corner and was staring frantically, a grin on her face. _

"_Where is he?" the tactician demanded, her eyes blazing with a mixture of excitement and micheviousness. "Where'd he go?" _

"_Who, Frederick?" _

"_I know he's still here in camp somewhere…" _

_While Robin glanced at the ground, looking for tracks, Chrom stared at her with a puzzled look on his face before finally asking, "Why are you looking for Frederick?"_

"_Special training," Robin answered back absent-mindedly, her eyebrows furrowing as she turned her head to the left and listened closely. "He's been avoiding me ever since that last session…but today's the day!" _

"_The day for what exactly?" _

"_The day he eats bear meat and keeps it down!" Robin said triumphantly, halting in her search for a moment to grin at the young lord. _

_It was well known that the loyal knight abhorred gamey meat, and though it had been kind of a treat to watch Robin try and help, Chrom couldn't help but feel a bit sorry for his attendant; it was obvious in the fact that Frederick was avoiding the tactician that he truly hated going through this training. _

_Chrom opened his mouth to say more when Robin froze, her eyes narrowing. In one leap she was next to the young lord, her hand over his mouth as she pulled him behind a few crates and let go, crouching down to hide. _

"_Robin," Chrom said with a bit of a laugh, "Seriously. He's not some animal to hunt, if he wants to finish your training he will eventual-"_

_His sentence went unfinished as the tactician grabbed his arm roughly and pulled him down next to her in a crouch as well; Chrom suddenly found himself breathless, pressing up against Robin as she ignored him and continued to stare out from behind the crates. _

"_He'll finish it when I say so," Robin insisted in a whisper, still looking out. "I know he can do it." _

"_You're way too optimistic, you know that?" _

"_No such thing," Robin said, turning to give him a grin before realizing the position the two of them were in; their faces only a few inches away, the two stared at each other silently, the only sound their light breathing. _

_For a moment they were quiet, until Chrom licked his lips nervously and muttered, "You're pretty amazing, Robin. I wish I could be as optimistic as you."_

"_You can be," Robin said haltingly, a blush spreading across her face. "Just…"_

"_Just what?" _

"_Just…." _

_The two fell quiet again, and for a second Chrom thought about reaching out to brush her cheek gently when there was a quiet clanking noise. Quickly the moment was gone, Robin snapping her head to the left again as her eyes lit up; Frederick in her sights, the tactician crouched even lower, waiting to spring the minute the knight walked by. _

_As Chrom watched, Robin sprang to her feet, screeching triumphantly as she knocked boxes over and all but tackled the poor knight. While Frederick yelled and protested and Robin lectured, Chrom shook his head, wondering what had just happened before he sighed and headed back to his tent with a smile on his face._

* * *

><p>"There it is," Libra said, moving to stand next to Chrom as the two men looked out the window of the orphanage and towards the fields outside of town. Sure enough, clouds swirled menacingly in the sky, converging over one spot but leaving the rest of the fields impossibly sunny. It was a strange enough sight that it had the Exalt burning with anticipation; a premonition of what might come making him more than eager to go explore the area.<p>

Behind the two, Panne watched, a child in her lap as she too looked out the window. Cradling her son to her chest, the taguel spoke softly, saying, "I sense it wavering."

Turning around, Chrom looked on as Libra explained, "Panne has always been more in touch with nature than others, as it should be with her being a taguel, and three days ago she mentioned to me that she believes the storm will break sometime within the next hour or so."

"We got here just in time then," Chrom affirmed, glancing back out the window. "We'll leave as soon as the storm breaks."

The words had barely left his lips when the whole earth seemed to shake; his eyes snapping to the window, the Exalt watched as the clouds seemed to solidify, before shattering into several pieces as the brightest light Chrom had seen yet broke through.

While Lissa screamed and Frederick tried to steady his feet, Chrom gripped the windowsill—it was all over in a minute. As the light died down, completely fading along with the clouds, Chrom glanced up at his comrades.

There was silence, before Chrom pushed past Libra, grabbing his sister and attendant on the way out the door. Running through the crowd that was pointing and murmuring, Chrom ignored everyone and elbowed his way to the end of town. While Lissa and Frederick huffed behind him, the Exalt left Southtown behind in a mad dash towards the hill, his heart beating so fast he could hardly bear it.

As he came to the crest of the hill, he slowed to a stop; finally catching up behind him, Lissa complained, "Geez Chrom, you could've waited for us…"

The healer's words died on her lips as her eyes fell on a lone figure, sleeping in the middle of the field.

Lingering behind, Lissa and Frederick allowed Chrom to move first; walking calmly to the cloaked figure, the young lord knelt beside the still body hesitantly, before tugging lightly at the hood.

He exhaled loudly, while Lissa gasped behind him as she came closer; a familiar face greeted them, Robin's eyes closed as her hair spilled around her in disarray.

The three stared, before Lissa finally broke the silence.

"Chrom, we have to do something…"

"What do you propose we do?"

"I…I dunno…"

As they stood there, unsure of what to do, the figure stirred. Everyone froze again, before Robin rolled over. Yawning lightly, the tactician stretched before her eyes opened and she stared up at everyone, surprise coloring her expression as she looked up.

Without hesitation Chrom smiled at her, leaning closer as he said happily, "I see you're awake now."

"Hey there!" Lissa interjected smiling as well as she leaned in too.

"There're better places to take naps than on the ground you know," Chrom said, before standing up and offering his hand. "Here, take this."

As her slender hand slipped into his, Chrom repressed the urge to shiver; pulling Robin to her feet, he looked straight into her eyes, searching desperately for some sort of recognition there.

Staring at him, Robin straightened up quietly. No one said a thing, hoping for her to say something as she stared at them with a confused look on her face. There was a prolonged hesitation, before Chrom said gently, "Robin…"

Her eyes flared; quickly her head snapped to the left, looking at Chrom with a curious look in her eyes.

Stepping closer, Chrom whispered, "Welcome home."

The instant the words left his mouth their eyes locked—holding each other's gaze for a moment, Chrom smiled just before Robin crumbled to the ground, falling to the ground in a faint before being caught quickly by Chrom.

* * *

><p>"It's not your fault," the healer reassured her brother, as Chrom stared out the window with a gloomy look on his face. "It isn't as if we knew for sure what was going to happen-at least we've found her now!"<p>

"But why hasn't she woken up? It's been five days…"

"I don't know why, but I'm sure she'll wake up soon. Just be patient for a bit longer, please…"

Without looking as his sister, Chrom turned from the window. Striding towards the door, the Exalt said, "I'll…I'll try. I'm going to go sit with her."

Leaving the study, Chrom moved through the hallways with heavy thoughts; he'd thought that after finally finding his wife, everything would be okay. He certainly hadn't expected her to faint when their eyes met, let alone remain unconsciousness for days more.

After straightening things out, the young lord had brought her back to the castle and kept her in a room near her study. He wasn't sure what he'd been expecting—sure, he had known it would be a longshot that the storm would even give Robin to him, but now that he had her he wasn't even sure she was okay.

Every day he'd sat by her bedside, hoping for some sort of response from her. It was even harder now for the Exalt to look Lucina in the eye and continue the story, knowing that the person he spoke of would be only a hallway away.

Chrom hoped to keep his toddler away from Robin, if only to save Lucina from knowing that her mother was unconscious and might not even know who she was. However, as Chrom approached the room Robin was being in kept in, he heard a suspicious giggle; dashing to the door he stared in awe as Lucina sat on the edge of the bed, staring upwards with a smile on his face.

Barely daring to breathe, Chrom's eyes flickered up as well, only to see Robin sitting up in bed. A smile graced her lips, her eyes bright as she looked down at Lucina with a friendly expression. As the Exalt let out a sharp gasp, both girls turned to look at him with surprise.

Still smiling, Lucina jumped off the bed and ran up to her father, grabbing his hand and saying, "I made a new friend, Father!"

"O-oh? Did you?" Chrom managed to stutter out, allowing Lucina to pull him towards the bedside as Robin stared up at him curiously. "I thought I told you to stay out of this side of the castle, Lucina…"

"I couldn't help it, I was playing in the hallway nearby and heard someone moan so I came to investigate!" the four-year-old declared.

"Lucina…" Chrom said in an exasperated voice. He opened his mouth to say more when Robin cleared her throat, catching his attention.

In a voice he thought he would never hear again, the tactician told him gently, "It's alright. She's a wonderful child—she's been telling me all about you, Lord Chrom and what a wonderful father you are."

At the title she gave him, Chrom faltered, before saying slowly, "_Lord_ Chrom?"

Eyebrows furrowed in confusion, Robin said, "That is your name, isn't it? Lucina told me as much. She's also explained to me where I am, although neither one of us know how I came to be here."

"I brought you back," Chrom replied, a faint panic beginning to well up in his stomach. "Don't you….remember me?"

The look that crossed Robin's face then nearly broke the Exalt's heart; with empty, sad eyes, Robin frowned before saying, "I can't seem to remember anything…even my own name."

Chrom's knees threatened to crumble beneath him, and he began to shake as he stared at her, a million images flashing through his head.

_Robin, laughing at him as she threw her head back, her hair a wild tangle of white curls. _

_Her eyes, blazing bright with excitement as she toppled soldiers and kings alike, commanding troops and bringing them home to safety._

_The way her nose crinkled when Chrom scolded her or teased her. _

_The way she rolled over and tangled her hands in his hair, pulling his forehead to hers and whispering, "I love you." _

All of it, Chrom realized, was gone. The Robin he knew was gone—and the woman who sat in front of him now was no more than an empty shell with no past and no realization of who she was.

Somehow, she had seemed so much closer when she was a mere memory.

As the Exalt stared and Robin stared back, Lucina gave her parent a worried look before saying softly, "Father?"

Snapping to his senses, Chrom looked down and replied, "Yes, Lucina?"

"I was telling her all about your story…would you continue it, here?"

The Exalt wanted to laugh at the irony of it all, but when he looked down into his daughter's eyes he knew that he couldn't refuse her, no matter how ridiculous it may seem. Looking back up at the tactician, Chrom watched her nod eagerly.

With a sigh, the young lord walked over to a nearby chair, allowing Lucina to climb into his lap while Robin watched from the bed. Hesitantly, the Exalt asked, "Is there a name you would like to be called?"

When Robin shook her head, Chrom swallowed hard and said, "Can I call you Robin?"

"Robin's a pretty name!" Lucina piped up. With a jolt Chrom realized that he'd never mentioned the name to Lucina—he had forgotten that he'd spent most of the story telling her the phrase "your mother" rather than the name "Robin".

As he watched, Robin smiled and said, "Sure…it's a very familiar sounding name. I might even remember it to be mine after awhile."

Still unable to keep his eyes off Robin, Chrom patted Lucina on the head and said gently, "Let me begin then…I guess. Where was I?"

* * *

><p><strong>So I know it's been awhile, and I didn't want to sound like I rushed the part where they met, but this is totally how I've envisioned it-like a surprise, something almost completely out of nowhere! <strong>

**Sorry for all the breaks in the chapters, but as I write I'm trying to get everything down and in so try not to think of it as choppy. XD It happens sometimes!**

**Anyways, that's all for now, and I really hope to see you all on the next update! Thank you all so much!**


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